Points of Authority
by God of Insanity
Summary: Set loosely after Jacinto sinks. Post Gears of War2. Set before GOW3. WARNING: Do NOT read if you don't like man on man.SLASH/YAOI M/M Marcus/Dom Dom/Marcus
1. Intro

**"Points of Authority"**

By: _God of Insanity_

Pairing(s): Marcus/Dom, Dom/Marcus, and Possibly Other pairings apply

Summary: Set loosely after Jacinto sinks. Post Gears of War2.

Warning(s): M/M YAOI, LEMONS, SPOILERS, Blood, horror, Oral, Maledom, D/s, Character Death, and other warnings apply.

_**A/N**_: **DO NOT READ IF YOU DISLIKE MALEXMALE SEX/RELATIONSHIPS! I cannot state it any louder than that. If you don't effing like it, don't effing read it, baby. **

_**Surprisingly t**__**here's barely any Gears of War yaoi/slash.(whatever ya want to call it) -_- I've decided to try my hand at it. Of course, most girls who read yaoi like the pretty man thing and although that is nice, it has gotten old. This story will probably be a few chapters long. Bear with me.**_

_**I have played both Gears of War games more than once, so I'm aware of the story and how the characters are. I will try my best to portray them as close to how they actually are. The only problem with GOW is that in the game, while the story and dialogue is interesting, it is also vague. So I'm pretty much going to have to make up shit to fill in the blanks. **_

_Disclaimer(s):_ _I do not own Gears of War. This is fanfiction. Notice the fan in front of fiction. I merely own my own ideas and the effort I put into these fan fictions. I make no profit whatsoever._

_

* * *

_

_Intro_

The days blend together. I can't even remember how long I've been _free_ now. Or as close to being free as a soldier is during a global war. Some days I feel like I'm still in that prison cell with no sunlight, no air...no sanity. Sometimes I miss that cell. As dark and as solitary as it was, it was strangely tranquil even if my mind wasn't at peace. It was almost like lying in your grave waiting for your impending death. In some ways, I believed I was going to die in that cell.

Guess I was wrong.

In prison, everyone always tried to fuck with me. _Fresh meat_, they said. _Traitor_, they said. Try as they might, they could never get a piece of me. Well, not in the way that they _wanted_. They got a few punches in before I sent them to the medical ward. Most of these bastards had been wasting away long before I came. But that didn't mean they couldn't fuck me up.

I'm no fool. I know what goes on in prisons. I remember hearing the screaming. Whether it was from rape, beatings, or death, it always started out the same. And it always ended the same.

For a year, I was placed in solitary confinement for almost beating would-be rapists to death. In the showers, one of the inmates decided to drop my soap for me, or so they planned. Ya gotta give me some credit, though. Fending off another man in the showers isn't an easy task. Slippery floor. Water. Soap. A dozen or so of jeering men. Add it all up and do the math.

But I ain't complaining. I never did much enjoy speaking or seeing other people so when they did toss me into solitary confinement, it was more than a blessing than a punishment for me.

Then one day, the door opened and there stood _Dom_.

It was unreal and blinding at the same time. I had to cover my eyes from the blinding light. It had been so long since I had seen any light, let alone seen that door open. At first, I didn't know whether I was just seeing hallucinations.

But it was really Dom. Dominic Santiago, an old friend of mine.

He told me that I had been _pardoned_. But I knew what that really meant. It meant that Prescott had become **desperate**. He wanted to win the damn war and in his own desperation, he pardoned all of us so-called criminals so that he could use us to fight.

You lose all your men then you begin dipping into other reserves to gain more soldiers. Kinda makes sense, though in a fucked up way. Lock us away to rot, then free us to die.

In all the years that I was locked down in the dark, they had lost so many gears and civilians. The numbers are staggering and even someone like I can't immediately believe it.

The world was more damaged than I ever remembered it being. Ever since I joined the Gears many years ago, it was fucked up, but not as bad as it is now. Now it's just gone to _shit_.

* * *

It's _always_ raining. Goddamn rain.

Somewhere around, I hear Baird complaining about something _again_. I ignore it and choose to scan my surroundings in case something unwelcome decided to spring up from below.

Damn grubs.

"Yo, baby, calm down. It's all cool, aight?" Cole says calmly, trying his best to console the obviously irritated Baird. As showy and self-centered as Cole was, I have to admit he is a damn good soldier and he always counters Baird smoothly and efficiently. If anyone could calm or quiet the blond man down, it was Cole.

"No, it ain't cool," Baird disagrees then he looks directly at me and shouts, "Hey Marcus, why doncha wave that magic wand of yours and get us the hell out of here?"

"Shut up, Baird," is all I can think of to say at the moment. I am at my wits end at this point. Every single day repeats itself and ever since I had been released, I had lost track of time. Not that I had track of time in prison, but still. Mostly what I can remember is the major battles. Everything else just mixes together into some weird greyish brown muck.

The blond soldier starts to say something back to me, but I choose to ignore it by centering my attention on Dom. He is abnormally quiet and standing stock still. He isn't staring at anything in particular and something about him seemed...off. I can't say that I blame him, though.

It's only been barely a month since he had to shoot his wife in the head, after all. In truth, Maria had died long ago before we even found her. What he had held in his arms had been nothing but a shell of her former self.

Hell, I understand how it feels to lose somebody you love, but not like _that_.

"-Marcus, are you even listening to me? Seriously, man, snap out of your dream world and do your damn job!" Baird bit out angrily. For some reason, he always gets especially angry when _I_ ignore him. Sometimes he acts like some sort of neglected puppy, or worse, a smitten girl. Ugh.

I roll my weary shoulders and glare over my shoulder at the blond man. He glares back with his bright eyes. Cole laughs. Dom says nothing.

"Yo, Marcus, man, I hate to say it, but Baird has a point. We can't stay here forever, baby," Cole points out after he's had a good laugh at our expense.

I nod curtly to him and look back over at Dom. He's not even looking at us. Sighing, I walk over to Dom and clap my hand onto his shoulder. He jumps as if startled. "Dom, you ok?"

Dom slowly looks at me and then after a moment, he nods even more slowly. His eyes seem to be saying something to me, but I don't know what, so I place it inside the catacombs of my mind to analyze later.

"We gotta go now, Dom. The _woman_ is complaining," I tell him and jerk my chin in the direction of Baird to indicate who I was referring to.

Cole laughs again.

It takes Baird a few moments to realize what I had said and then he snarls, "Fuck you, Marcus!"

"I don't think Marcus is that desperate, yet, baby," Cole inserts and laughs at his own joke.

Baird shoots Cole a withering glare and objects, "Keep your sick fantasies to yourself, _Cole Train_."

"Yo, whatever, baby. No need to get your panties in a wad," the biggest member of our Delta team counters easily.

I turn away and crack a weak smile.

"Are we leaving now, your majesty, or do you need us to kiss your ass first?" Baird asks in his usual, dry sarcastic tone.

There was something different in Baird's voice and face that I had never noticed before. I couldn't place what it was, but it looked and felt similar to what Dom's eyes had conveyed. But what? I didn't know. I had never noticed these things before. Perhaps I was just going crazy and seeing things that weren't there. Yeah, that's what was. I've finally fucking lost it.

"Yeah, let's get the hell out of here," I croak and I trudge ahead of them in the chosen direction. I don't need to look to see if they're following me. I can hear their boots clunking on the dry ground plus I can hear Baird muttering obscenities, Cole singing something to himself, and Dom's heavy silence.

_Hoorah._

_

* * *

_

**TBC...?**

_**A/N: Feedback is appreciated, as always. These guys are amusing and I hope I keep them close to their characters as possible. For now, I'm probably mostly going to be working on this story and my Original. **_


	2. CH01Cover

**"Points of Authority"**

By: _God of Insanity_

Pairing(s): Marcus/Dom, Dom/Marcus, and Possibly Other pairings apply

Summary: Set loosely after Jacinto sinks. Post Gears of War2.

Warning(s): M/M YAOI, LEMONS, SPOILERS, Blood, horror, Oral, Maledom, D/s, Character Death, and other warnings apply.

_**A/N**_: _**This is just fanfiction, so don't take it seriously. Thanks for the review and I'm glad everyone is enjoying this so far. XD**_

_Disclaimer(s):_ _I do not own Gears of War. This is fanfiction. Notice the fan in front of fiction. I merely own my own ideas and the effort I put into these fan fictions. I make no profit whatsoever._

_

* * *

_

CH-01- _Cover_

The next day doesn't prove to be any better. In fact, it's _worse_.

It rains harder and even though we're protected by our gear, we can still feel temperature whether it's rising or falling. It's freezing cold. Even walking as quick as I am, I feel like I'm freezing my nuts off.

Surprisingly, everyone is as quiet as a corpse. Just the sounds of their movements are barely heard in the pounding, roaring rain.

I turn my head slightly to glance back at them. They all look as tired as I feel and then some. In spite of that, there's fierce determination brimming in them.

Except for Dom.

I growl as I think about it. I am losing Dom and I don't even know what to do. I know how to shoot, how to kill, how to lead, and how to mourn another soldier's death. But I don't know how to comfort _him_ in the way that he needs. I don't know how to heal him or even where to begin. I was always better at throwing a punch then lending a hand, anyway.

Each one of them are _my_ responsibility and I have to see to it that they remain alive. Whether they're going crazy, half-dead, or whatever, I am supposed to snap them out of it. I'm supposed to lead them through hell unscathed. And I'm painfully aware that I'm only a man.

But I'll be damned if I'm going to lose Dom.

* * *

You always know you're getting close to something good when things start attacking you.

"_**HUMANS," **_screamed one of them in its ugly, barbaric version of a voice.

All of us except for Dom immediately bent down and slammed against the nearest rock or wall. I scanned the area quickly for them and it was at that moment that I saw Dom still standing there like a statue. I heard more screams from the enemy and the clumsy gunfire that was their trademark. Cursing Dom's stupidity, I ran as fast as I could and tackled him to the ground as bullets whizzed by us in the spot Dom had been previously standing.

I grab Dom and drag him to the nearest shelter. I shake him by the shoulders and snarl, "Goddammit, Dom, what the fuck is wrong with you? You almost got killed out there!"

He wasn't looking at me at that moment. But when I had said the word _killed_, he turned his hollow dark eyes and looked at me blankly. I didn't like that look.

Frustrated beyond belief, all I could think to do was punch him in the face as hard as I could. Yeah, I know. I'm fucked up for punching a man when he's down. But goddammit, he wouldn't snap the fuck out of it. What else was I supposed to do?

Dom staggered back a bit but he didn't lose his balance. His eyes were darker somehow and blood dribbled from his busted lip.

I stood my ground and waited for his reaction...any reaction at all.

What he did next was something I would have never expected him to do in a million years. He rushes at me and shoves me against the wall before I can blink. Calloused hands grab my face hard and his turgid body presses hard into me to the point that I can't move, let alone, breathe. He stares into my face, searchingly. I glared back defiantly and I'm pissed as hell. I open my mouth to bark something at him when he suddenly crushes his bloody lips to mine in a rough, desperate kiss that seems more like he is devouring me. I've been kissed enough to know that there's nothing romantic or sexual about this.

Shock thrums throughout me so I gasp, which causes my mouth to open involuntarily in invitation and he takes it by shoving his tongue deeply into my mouth. He presses me harder into the wall and his blunt nails bite deeply into my face as he continues to rape my mouth. I feel his teeth gnash against mine and there's blood. A lot of blood. His blood or mine, I can't tell.

The shock eventually wears off and that's when my head finally clears. Like boom of a frag, I realize what's going on so I shove him away as hard as I can. We're both breathing hard and staring at each other with mixed expressions. Thank god we are father back away from the other two or they might have seen what happened.

I wiped my face of Dom's blood and saliva. Repulsion along with another unwelcome feeling shudders throughout my body. As much as I hated it, I liked it, too.

"Dom. What. The. Hell," I utter hoarsely, punctuating each point and I am barely aware of the gunfire and the frags. Or the shrieks of the Locusts and the hissing of the Reavers.

Dom opens his mouth to say something and I can see the anger in his eyes along with something else unidentifiable. Some part of me doesn't even want to know.

But at the same exact moment he was about to speak, a loud explosion sounds, which knocks us out of our own little _personal_ battle.

I hear Baird screaming, "Where the fuck are those assholes!"

At that moment, I forget what transpired between us and I hunch down and charge forward with my lancer ready. Dom's instantly at my side like how he used to be.

We start firing at the locust scum and for that long ass hour, we're back to the way we _used_ to be. Before Maria died. Before Dom...well, before he lost his mind by pinning me to the wall and kissing me.

But somehow, even as we shoot, it's in the back of my mind, lurking and awaiting the chance to present itself again.

Ah, _denial_.

* * *

We managed to push back the locusts. We killed most of them, but a few did end up escaping. Killed a few Reavers. A Boomer or two. A Corpser. And of course, Dom's personal favorite, the _Berzerker_. (1)

I'm walking ahead of everyone, as usual. Dom is somewhere behind me to the side. Baird is after him and Cole is in the back. And that's when I finally notice it.

Dom's not beside me like he usually is.

Then I realize that ever since Maria, he's became distant and someone else completely. He stopped being at my side and being my friend. At least, it seems that way to me. I would never admit it, but I always felt like he was my equal. Even though I'm the leader, I tend to be the pushover when it comes to him.

Now it seems to have changed. Seems that even in war nothing ever stays the same. I fucking hate it.

And although I hate admitting it, Dom is the closest thing I have to family now. So maybe that's why I'm so pissed about everything Dom-related. Yeah, that's it. It has nothing to do with...the _other_ thing.

_Fuck._ There's a war going on and people are dying...and here I am, not paying attention to my mission. Here I am focusing all my thoughts on damn _Dom_.

Cole watches us and I'm aware of it. It's like he knows something and it bothers me. He never says anything to me, but I know he's _thinking_ something.

Baird is staring at me again and I want to fucking snap at him. I'm tired of everyone always gawking at me. They all do. Whether it's for leadership or for other reasons, it's staring to really piss me off.

"Marcus..." Baird starts, but isn't sure how to finish his thought.

I don't even bother to look at him. I grunt, "What."

"What happened to your lips? Looks like something bit them or something," Baird replies hesitantly as if afraid I'm going to turn around and shoot him in the face. _Tempting_.

"I bit myself. Was an accident," I answer a little two quickly for my own liking.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Dom stiffen. His frown turns into a deep scowl, which resembles the one currently displayed for all to see on my scarred face.

Baird looks as if he doesn't believe me, but he shrugs and let's it go for now. He shoots Cole a look I can't see and Cole just shrugs.

I turn my attention back to what's in front of me and it's at that moment that I don't catch Baird scrutinizing Dom's busted lip. He looks to me and then back at Dom as if he were trying to put two and two together. If I had known, I would have given Baird some credit, at least. I would have acknowledged that he's not as stupid as he makes himself out to be at times.

Then again, we all have our stupid moments. And mine seem to be more prevalent than others, well, at least it seems so to me. After all, no one is as hard on me as I am to myself.

In fact, I don't doubt that I'll be fucking up again real soon according to the sweltering glares and questioning stares that keep being sent my way.

_Wonderful_.

* * *

**TBC...**

Note(s):

1.) In Gears of War, while playing as Marcus, and my best friend playing Dom, we came across the thing called the Berzerker. She freaking hates that thing and I tease her about it all the time. There were times it seemed to favor her even when I'm running around making noise. XD


	3. CH02Push

**"Points of Authority"**

By: _God of Insanity_

Pairing(s): Marcus/Dom, Dom/Marcus, and Possibly Other pairings apply

Summary: Set loosely after Jacinto sinks. Post Gears of War2. Set before Gears of War 3.

Warning(s): M/M YAOI, LEMONS, SPOILERS, Blood, horror, Oral, Maledom, D/s, Character Death, and other warnings apply.

_**A/N**_: _**I recently watched the GOW3 trailer. Bad. Ass. Dom looks like hell and is basically fallen apart,which I had predicted before I saw the trailer. He lost his wife, so it makes sense. This story is set 17 months before GOW3 (since in that game it's 18 months later and the locusts have made their come back). **_

_Disclaimer(s):_ _I do not own Gears of War. This is fanfiction. Notice the fan in front of fiction. I merely own my own ideas and the effort I put into these fan fictions. I make no profit whatsoever._

_

* * *

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CH-02-_ Push_

During the long night, we meet an old cog called Barrett who lets us _borrow_ one of his cars. It's kind of old, but it will do. I thank him, take the keys and slide into the leather seat. I volunteer to drive, as usual.

"All right, baby, we got wheels now! I got shotgun!" Cole shouts his enthusiasm as he slides into the front passenger seat.

With less zeal than that of Cole, Baird mutters, "_Hoorah._.."

I'm not really surprised when Dom sits in the back with Baird. In some way, I'm glad he isn't sitting beside me and in another way, I am disappointed. Blah.

Hours pass in silence and I continue to drive even though the other three cogs are dozing in a light sleep that I'm sure is filled with troubled dreams. We never get more than a few hours sleep and when we do sleep, it always mirrors the hell we go through every day. We live in nightmare and we dream in nightmare. In our nightmares we see the ones that we have lost and we see the ones that we are afraid to lose.

Dom stirs slightly in his sleep and I hear him murmur, "_Maria_..."

I grip the wheel hard and keep my eyes trained on the rocky terrain of the road. It's better to concentrate on other things than on him and his pain. I turn my thoughts away from him and focus my mind on other things...

Like staying alert, for example. Even though there doesn't seem to be many Locust left, we still run into them now and then. We sank Jacinto a month ago and ever since then, it's been kind of quiet. We don't know how many we killed, but we do know that we dealt them a bitch slap of a blow. Something tells me it's far from over, though.

* * *

It's quiet. Too quiet.

I turn off the car and lean over to shake Cole's massive shoulder in an effort to wake him up. He blinks a few times and focuses on my face. He easily reads my look and then turns around to wake the others as I exit the car.

"Wakey, wakey, baby!"

I roll my aching, stiff shoulders as I walk with my lancer poised in my hands. I scan my surroundings as I walk through an old, seemingly abandoned town. The buildings are dilapidated, of course, and chunks of houses and scrap metal lie in the streets most likely from frags and other bombs. I'm surprised these buildings are still standing. For a moment, as I gaze at these busted up houses, I feel as if I'm looking at myself and the others. Just like these buildings, we're pretty beat up, yet we're still standing.

A quiet, barely restrained yawn escapes me. The urge to sleep and never wake up to this hell is tempting. But I ain't giving up yet.

The other gears follow behind silently, sleep still tinged in their tired, weary eyes. For a moment, I'm tempted to shoot my gun in the air to wake them the hell up, but that's a really _bad_ idea. Who knows what's still lurking around here...

"Yo, boss man! What's the plan?" Baird asks in a cranky voice, which reminds me of a batty old lady.

I feel the urge to tell him that, but I quickly disregard it in favor for being serious by saying, "Hoffman wants us to look around here on the way back. He seems to think there's something _here_. I'm guessing he wants us to dispose of any hostiles..."

"Man, let me guess, the **need-to-know-basis** thing again, right?" Cole asks incredulously in his best _This Is Bullshit_ tone. He's pretty bright and tends to see through most things rather easily. If I didn't have Cole, I probably would have killed Baird by now.

"You got it," I reply with a scowl that's not aimed at him. If we weren't in the middle of a war, I would probably punch Hoffman's lights out. Hell, even on the rare occasions that I do see him, we usually clash. Guess I'm not good at following orders blindly. But that's what he always does. He sends the four, or on some cases, the two of us, on blind missions to scope some spooky place out. Oh, and that's not the best part. The best part is that he never tells us what we're looking for or what we're actually supposed to be doing.

Baird stops walking and throws his arms up in the air in exasperation. "Well, that's just fucking great, isn't it? We get to run around this place playing with ourselves just because the geezer says so!"

"Baird, baby, if you're going to be playing with yourself, do us all a favor and do it when you're _alone_," Cole inserts, smiling a bit. His joke does lighten the mood a tad, though.

"Amen to that, " I chuckle a bit as I lead them through the deserted town.

"Fuck you, Cole," Baird growls under his breath.

Cole hits him on the shoulder and says, "When I get that desperate, baby, I'll call Marcus first,"

I only grunt at that and decide not to comment.

Laughing at his own joke, Cole turns around and misses the twin looks that pass on Dom and Baird's faces. I don't miss it, though. I always keep a close eye on everyone's reactions. Ever since Tai killed himself, I can't be too sure anymore.

Baird looks a bit miffed at Cole as if it weren't a joke and Dom...well, Dom looks pissed off. A dark look passes his swarthy features and as soon as he realizes that I'm staring at him, the anger vanishes and he quickly looks away.

I don't get it. We're always making gay jokes around each other and until now, no one has ever taken it seriously.

I decide to shrug it off for now. They're all obviously irritated and stressed because of this damn war and because Hoffman likes to jerk us around. God knows I am.

* * *

It takes us about twenty minutes or so to walk around the town. It's small, but there's plenty of hiding spots. Knowing it's better to be safe than sorry, I bark, "Cole, you and Baird take the left. Sweep out and look in every nook and cranny. Dom and I are taking the right. Let's make sure this place really is a ghost town."

"Sir, yes, sir!" Baird salutes me and whips around to follow the bigger cog to the left side of the town.

"Jack ass..." I mutter as they walk away.

I head towards the right and I hear Dom following me silently. His silence irks me and I'm determined to settle the issue once and for all. I didn't split us into two teams for nothing. There's something going on inside his head and I want to know what it is. He acts like he has a problem with me and I'm going to solve it. I'm going to kick it in the ass before it explodes like a Ticker.

* * *

Minutes later, we're both inside the closest house. It's dark and there's dust, grime, and pieces of glass everywhere. Broken pieces of furniture litter the place and suspicious dark stains are dried into the walls and floor. I carefully step around a broken chair. I stay close to the wall and keep my

movement deliberately slow. You never know what's around the corner.

Dom follows a few paces behind me, his steps just as slow and practiced as mine. For a moment, I'm grateful he's resumed his role as a soldier. But then I stop when I hear a noise. He stops behind me about a few inches or so and I can feel his breath rolling off the back of my neck. The hairs on the back of my neck bristle as goosebumps form on my arms and legs.

It bothers me that he's that close and I try to ignore it as I attempt to focus on figuring out what that noise was before it kills us.

Something leaps out of the wall in front of me and I step back quickly by instinct. I lose my footing and fall back against Dom. He drops his gun and instantly catches me the way he used to when he was my wing man.

Sitting there staring at us with black beady eyes is a tiny rodent. A _mouse_.

I curse under my breath at the creature and I mumble a quiet _Thanks _while I take a step to walk away, but he doesn't let me go. If anything, his arms tighten around me like snakes. A hot, nervous feeling shoots through me, but I don't show it. Instead, I mutter, "Dom, you can let go of me now."

He doesn't say anything and he doesn't move.

Fed up with his damn silence, I use all my brute strength to violently pull away. His grip loosens somewhat, but he stubbornly still doesn't let go. In the struggle of captor and captive, he trips and we both tumble to the ground gracelessly. He falls heavily onto his back and I fall back against him on top. I almost pity him because I know we're both heavy guys because of our muscle mass so that me falling on top of him couldn't have been all that pleasant.

Well, at least it wasn't Cole. Dom would have been smashed.

I attempt to rise, but his arms coil around me again and it's weird. It's an awkward feeling to lie on top of another man with his arms wrapped around you. The upside to this was at least we weren't face to face, I guess.

As if reading my mind, Dom suddenly uses his strength to toss me off of him. I fall to my hands and knees, but as I attempt to rise, he grabs me and throws me on my back. I try to stand up, but he quickly pushes me back to the ground with his own body. Growling, I raise one of my hands to punch him, but he grabs my arms and restrains them firmly above my head. He pushes his body hard against mine, keeping me firmly pinned against the filthy floor.

I growl vehemently, "What the fuck, Dom?"

Dom stares down at me with his dark eyes that don't seem so empty anymore. I see anger there. Confusion. Pain. And then I see it. Longing. I knew that look anywhere. _Ah_.

"Dom, I know you're still hurting because of your wife. It's okay. None of us think you are weak because of that. We've all lost people we've loved. I'm here for you, we're all here for you, Dom. You don't have to go through this alone. You're not alone," I say softly, trying my best to comfort him. In truth, these were words I should have said a month ago. But I'm a man and it's hard to speak about feelings. And yes, believe it or not, us men actually have feelings and emotions.

I can see bitter anger and frustration well up in his face. During the entire time that he had looked for his wife, he had always had that look framed on his face. And I had been there during it all. Even when he chose to look for his wife instead of fulfilling the mission, I had tried to establish control. I argued with him, but instead of firmly going my own way to complete the mission, I ended up submitting to him. Like I've said before, I'm a pushover for him and it's not something I'm readily able to admit to anyone.

I was there when he found Maria. He didn't know what to do to help her, and neither did I. It was too late to help her and we both realized it. I watched as his world was in tatters and he ended up having to destroy his own world. He cried like a man who had lost everything. And in some ways, he did. But just as quickly as the tears had come, his rage had swept through him like a horde of wrathful hornets.

A pissed off Dom is _never _a good Dom to mess with. The Locusts figured that out for themselves soon enough.

Dom stares down at me and gets even angrier, if possible. In a wretched, melancholic voice steeped full of unbridled rage, he shouted, "This is not about Maria! Maria is dead! I know this, I know this. She's gone and she's never, ever coming back. This is not about Maria..."

I stay silent for a few moments while trying to figure out what to say to him. I honestly don't know what the hell his problem is. He is lashing out at me for reasons unknown to me. Sighing, I look at him and ask calmly, "Then what is _this_ about?"

As swiftly as air left a body, Dom's fury diminishes just like that. He inhales deeply, then bores through me with his dark eyes as he murmurs, "_You_."

I'm stumped. Shock registers in my brain and I ask, "_Me?_ What do I have to do with anything?"

"Marcus..." Dom trails off and he leans close, his breath ghosting against my lips. A shiver wracks throughout my body and I suddenly severely don't like where this is going.

Before I can even blink, his face descends until his lips are covering mine again. This time it's not angry or violent. But it's just as hungry, just as desperate, and just as wrong.

Oh, _fuck. _

_

* * *

_

**TBC...**


	4. CH03Pull

**"Points of Authority"**

By: _God of Insanity_

Pairing(s): Marcus/Dom, Dom/Marcus, and Possibly Other pairings apply

Summary: Set loosely after Jacinto sinks. Post Gears of War2. Set before GOW3.

Warning(s): M/M YAOI, LEMONS, SPOILERS, Blood, horror, Oral, Maledom, D/s, Character Death, and other warnings apply.

_**A/N**_: **_Next one will be longer. Let me know whatcha think. I don't bite as hard as Lecter._**

_Disclaimer(s):_ _I do not own Gears of War. This is fanfiction. Notice the fan in front of fiction. I merely own my own ideas and the effort I put into these fan fictions. I make no profit whatsoever._

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CH-03-_ Pull_

For the second time within 24 hours, I'm being restrained and kissed by a _man_. And it's not just any man. Oh no. It's_ Dom._

The first time had been violent and had made me think he was buckling under all the stress. It made me think he had lost his marbles and that he wasn't himself anymore. Well, that's not completely true. He had been acting strange since _she_ died and every day it seemed to get worse. The honest truth was after he had forced himself on me the first time, I didn't know what to think.

And even now, I still don't know what to think.

Hell, he's kissing me like I'm a woman or something. It's not...bad, but it's not something I particularly want. If you want to be gay, be gay, but I'm not _that_ way.

His death grip on my wrists tightens as his lips almost reluctantly leave mine. He kisses a hot trail from my jawline all the way down to my corded neck. An involuntary gasp escapes past my lips at the feeling of his mouth on my neck, kissing and sucking. A familiar and unwanted heat stirs in the pit of my stomach, which confuses me because I shouldn't like this at all.

But what really gets to me is when I feel something _hard_ press against my thigh and I know without looking that it's not his armor. Or a gun. Or any kind of man-made weapon.

That's when reality smacks the hell out of me. I growl, forgetting that I can speak now and I struggle once again. I'm not able to throw him off, but my erratic bucking and squirming does get his attention.

He stops what he's doing and I can't help but sigh in relief. He looks down at me, our faces a mere scant inches apart. He narrows his dark eyes as if he doesn't approve of my rebellious behavior. Well, tough shit.

I glare defiantly at him and growl, "Dom, get the hell off me, now."

"And if I don't, Marcus? What are you going to do?" Dom inquires calmly, but I can still hear the rasp of emotion in his voice.

I close my mouth and just glare at him. I don't have an answer for that because I don't know what I would do. The last thing I want to do is harm him in any way and I must admit that I still regret punching him. It had been a very low thing to do, but like all men, I had just snapped. But that doesn't mean I'm not sorry for it.

"You still don't get it, do you?" Dom asks me and never once takes his eyes off of mine.

I feel anxious again because of the fact that I don't understand. I'm the type of person that accepts things as I go and I don't question it unless it's relevant. In this case it's important because I have a man on top of me, pinning me down.

I end up growling, "No, I don't."

He sighs, but I can tell he's not surprised by my answer. He looks away and even though his face is turned, I can tell that he's sad. It's different, somehow. It's not the same kind of sorrow that is tied to Maria. I guess it's the equivalent of what I feel whenever I look at Anya.

"Well, you gonna lay here on me all day? Or are you gonna tell me? Marcus isn't another word for mattress, y'know," I grouch impatiently to him after a few long minutes of waiting. I hate waiting. I guess that's why I'm more of a man of action rather than words.

I see a small smile twitch on his lips after my last statement is said. He looks at me and for a flicker of a moment, I see the old Dom. The Dom before all this shit went to hell. The _happy_ Dom.

"Well? I'm waiting. Not like I have a choice..." I trail off and if I could, I would have crossed my arms.

At those words, Dom releases my wrists and he pushes his body off of me so that he can stand. He extends his arm, holding his hand out for me to take. I'm tempted to slap it away, but instead I reluctantly sit up and take his hand. He heaves me up from the floor and I quickly find my footing. I grumble to myself as I brush all the dirt and crap from my gear.

Not only does Dom has the nerve to watch me in amusement, but he laughs, too. I glare accusingly at him. _Asshole_.

I bend down to pick up my gun and then Dom's. When I turn around to hand him his gun, I realize that bending over hadn't been the best idea. He's looks away and coughs. His tanned skin is flushed and I just _know_ that he had been staring. I'm not used to being stared at like that, so I merely shrug it off.

Dom takes his gun from me and for a moment, I feel his hand brush against mine. He's wearing gloves now, but it still reminds me of earlier when he had kissed me for the first time. His bare hands had been on my face as he had kissed me. I remember the feel of them still. Strong and calloused, they are a hard-working man's hands. I also remember the nails of his hands digging into my face. A small part of me _wants_ to feel it again.

I'm stunned out of my reverie when I figure out that he's staring at me again. I grip my lancer, which is aimed at the ground. I decide just to hell with it by getting it out in the open by asking, "Dom, what the hell was that about?"

He shakes his head and looks sadly at me. "If you still don't understand why I did what I did, then there's no point in explaining it. I'm sorry, Marcus. I won't do it again."

Before I can say anything, Dom turns and walks past me with his lancer held ready for action. I sigh and follow him quietly. I don't like what he said, but I'm not going to push him. I respect his boundaries so if I want him to respect mine, then pushing him to tell me what I want to know isn't the best way.

As we walk silently in the dark house, I suddenly wish that that _rat_ was around so I could shoot the damn thing. After all, I have to blame something.

* * *

It takes us about a couple hours or so to painstakingly search most of the houses on the right side. We still have one more house to look in and I'm eager to get it out of the way so we can get out of this pitiful place.

During the entire time, few words had been said. Yet I'm pretty sure a lot of things were going on in both our minds. I know I can't stop thinking about any of it no matter what I try. I try to think about Anya, but it doesn't work. No matter how hard I concentrate on my task or on her, my thoughts keep bouncing back to Dom.

And the more I think, the more I believe that whatever Dom is feeling isn't completely one-sided at all. _Maybe_ it's mutual.

The thought scares me more than I know, but no matter what I say to myself in my mind, I can't lie to myself. I can deny it all I want, but I know it's there somewhere. Hiding. Lurking. Waiting.

I can't take it any longer. I grab Dom and push his back against the nearest wall. He gasps in surprise and before he can utter anything, I'm pressed up against him, my mouth clamped over his. I kiss him in a way that is neither soft nor hard. I'm merely testing the waters to see what I feel about this. Every single time Dom has kissed me, I haven't kissed him back. So I figured I should test to see if I did like it.

And I do like it. I like it so much in fact that I cup the side of his face with my hand as I kiss him. After the shock wears off, his lips move against mine and I force myself into his mouth by thrusting my tongue in. He pushes his tongue into my mouth and I moan as I feel it rubbing against mine. His arms wrap around me and I find that I don't mind.

But after awhile, a man needs his breath back. I pull away from his face and we both gasp for the much needed air. My hand falls from his face and I step back a few steps to give us both space.

"Does this mean...?" Dom asks in quiet, almost fearful voice. For the first time in a long ass time, I see hope stir from within him. And it's because of me.

"I don't know," I say and when I see his face fall at that, I quickly add, "but that doesn't mean I don't like it."

It is my way of telling him that there is still hope and that I need time. It is a new feeling for me and I'm the type of person that needs time to grasp things. I can't just readily accept anything if I don't completely understand it. I'm impulsive at times, but not that impulsive. I didn't become leader of the Delta squad for no reason.

Dom nods to me and I can tell that he understands my meaning without me having to further explain myself. That's one of the great things about him. Most of the time I don't need to say much to him. He usually instantly gets what I try to say as if he is reading my mind. He's in sync with me in a way no other person has ever been. Granted, Cole does sometime understand what I have on my mind, but not as much or as often as Dom does. And yeah, there's Baird, too. Baird is someone who _always_ tries my patience and never seems to grasp my meaning, so I, or someone else often has to explain it to him like he's a damn two-year-old or something.

As Dom walks beside me on our way out of the building, I feel as if things are better between us. It's not the same, but it's not bad. It feels new, but it kinda feels the same, too. I guess things do change with time, after all.

* * *

Ten minutes later, the four of us meet up in the middle of the town. Cole and Baird look bored as hell and I can tell instantly that they haven't found a single thing. They look at us and can tell we didn't have any luck, either.

"Well, that was a big waste of time!" Baird complains and for once, I agree with him.

Cole voices his agreement by saying, "Tell me about it, baby! Not a single fucking locust or living thing in this damn place!"

"Marcus found a rat," Dom tells them and there's mirth in his eyes. There's a small smile tugging at the corners of his face.

"Aw, Marcus found a mousey..." Cole gushes and laughs loudly, but it doesn't hurt my ears. Just my pride.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah...shut up," I growl and start walking towards the car, obviously not in the mood for the rodent joke.

Baird isn't as amused as Cole and he gripes, "Well, that's just great! We came here just so we could play with Mickey Mouse! I say we go shove our boots up Command's ass!"

"I'll take that under advisement," I mutter darkly and I seriously do consider it.

Dom laughs and follows me. "Aw, cheer up, Marcus. That mouse was cute..."

Obviously confused, Baird leans in close to Cole and whispers, "Who got raped?"

Cole shrugs, but doesn't say anything. Again I get the nagging feeling that he _knows_.

But I don't get time to think on it because at that exact moment, ten feet away, our car explodes.

"FUCK!" Someone shouts and I'm not sure whether it was me, Baird, Dom, Cole, or all of us in unison.

* * *

**TBC...**


	5. CH04Hit

**"Points of Authority"**

By: _God of Insanity_

Pairing(s): Marcus/Dom, Dom/Marcus, and Possibly Other pairings apply

Summary: Set loosely after Jacinto sinks. Post Gears of War2. Set before GOW3.

Warning(s): M/M YAOI, LEMONS, SPOILERS, Blood, horror, Oral, Maledom, D/s, Character Death, and other warnings apply.

_**A/N**_:_** I did some research on GOW...and found out some interesting things. Some things make more sense now and some of the things I had already guessed. I do plan to own and read the books, but that'll have to wait till I can get them. If things seem off, don't get too...anal with me. XD Anywhos, thanks for the reviews and Fav story/story alerts. **_

_Disclaimer(s):_ _I do not own Gears of War. This is fanfiction. Notice the fan in front of fiction. I merely own my own ideas and the effort I put into these fan fictions. I make no profit whatsoever._

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CH-04-_Hit_

"This is bullshit, baby!" Cole complains loudly as we all gawk at the sight of the wreck.

"You can say that again, " I mutter as I scan our surroundings. There's no one in sight. It's hard to say whether what happened is foul play or shitty luck. Either way, the way I see it...we're _walking_.

Everyone turns and stares at me expectantly.

I sigh and try the Comm Link, "Control, can you hear me? This is Delta..."

No reply.

"Control? Command? Anyone listening?" I try again and still no luck. Guess the shitty reception is bad.

"Do you think they're ignoring us?" Dom asks seriously.

"I don't think so. I haven't heard a peep from them since over 6 hours ago," I reply to Dom and then I turn to the others and command, "Well, ladies, looks like we're _walkin'._ Move out!"

Baird and Cole groan simultaneously, but they start following as soon as I walk in the opposite direction of where we drove in from.

Dom catches up to me easily and asks, "Marcus, do you know where we're going?"

I glance at him briefly before saying, "Yeah, to _hell_. We have to find an area with better reception, Dom."

He seems satisfied by my answer, but like everyone else, he's very frustrated.

As we walk, I can hear Cole and Baird muttering in hushed tones. I'm irritated by this, so I snap, "Cole, Baird, shut the hell up and keep your eyes peeled. We're not going to Disney Land. If we get jumped because your asses aren't paying attention, I'm _personally_ going to kick your asses."

Dom smirks, "Ooh, you guys are in trrrrouble!"

"Shut up, Dom," Baird grits while shooting him an annoyed look. He looks at me and salutes while saying, "Whatever you say, boss man. I like my ass how it is so I wouldn't want ya kickin' it."

"Yo baby, take a chill pill. I got you, Marcus," Cole replies in his usual cool voice.

I growl and look away. Idiots. But they're _my_ idiots. And I respect them more than they will ever know.

* * *

An hour or two passes as we mostly walk in undisputed silence. Even though we're all weary, I know that each one of us is itching for some kind of action besides walking. Like I said before, I'm a man of action, not words, and I can tell the other guys are pretty much the same way.

We're surrounded by trees and more trees. It's very quiet and there's not even the sound of birds. _Nothing_.

As we walk, there's not even the relief of the wind to cool our sweat. Luckily for us, it's a pretty crappy hot ass day. The sweat in my gear clings to me in places I'd rather not mention, but that's nothing new. I'm pretty sure that we all smell like fuckin' daises.

I glance over at Dom. He's walking beside me and there's a strained look on his face, which I know means that he's thinking hard about something. In spite of that, I see something in him that I haven't seen in a very long time. _Hope_.

I know that feeling well because that's all we have left now.

Dom blinks and then looks at me when he realizes that I've been staring at him. I look away and try to play it off that I hadn't been watching him.

"_Marcus_," he urges in an attempt to capture my attention. It works.

"Yes, Dom?"

In a hushed tone, Dom whispers to me, "This area looks familiar to me. I think if we go more towards the East we'll find a settlement there. About 3 miles, if I remember right."

Obviously he doesn't want to get Baird and Cole's hopes up too high. I nod and consider his words. Total pushover, right? "It's worth a shot."

"Thanks, man," he says quietly and smiles at me in the same way that he used to long ago...before **E-Day**.

"Cole, Baird, were going to the East. Keep your panties on," I inform them, but I don't tell them the reason why. It's better not to dash their hopes since Dom's memory may have failed him or the place is long gone.

Baird and Cole both grunt in affirmation, but otherwise they don't say anything. I'm hoping we find some sort of refuge to take cover in temporarily. It's never wise to sleep out in the open...

* * *

A couple of hours later, we find the place that Dom had brought to my attention. Its a small fort of about 13 cogs with about 5 or so buildings. There's also several military vehicles parked near the houses. It's a welcome sight.

"Woo, baby, that's what I'm talkin' about!" Cole cheers while he thrusts his arms in the air.

Dom and Baird look insanely relieved by the sight of the fort and the men walking about it. I don't blame em'.

A man close to my height walks over to greet us. His hair is about as dark as Dom's and his skin is a few shades or so darker than Baird's. My gaze comes to lock onto his face and at that moment I realize instantly that there's something remarkably familiar about his teal eyes and his young face.

Then it hits me. "_Clarke_."

"Well, if it ain't mother fuckin' Fenix himself! I've been hearing all sorts of things about you lately. Your squad is Delta-One, right? The teal-eyed man by the name of Clarke asks me as he nears.

"Yeah, that's the one," I say slowly and I'm mildly surprised when he grabs and embraces me. It's strong, but doesn't last long. I can tell that he's genuinely happy to see me, which is not something I'm used to. People are glad to see me when they want their asses saved, but when it comes to me personally, they don't give a damn.

"Good to see you, man," Clarke openly admits with a smile on his face that makes him look ten years younger. He pulls away and looks over to see my men standing there gawking at us. "They with you?"

I nod and gesture to them with my lancer. "That's Dom, Baird, and Cole. Guys, this is Isaac Clarke."

Dom walks over to my side and scopes Clarke out as if he wasn't sure whether he was friend or foe. Normally, he's friendly when it comes to meeting new people, but in this particular instance, he just stares coldly at Clarke as if he were a threat.

Clarke regards them all with a small smile and firmly shakes everyone's hand. When he gets to Cole, he tilts his head to the side and inquires, "You look familiar, man. Have I see you from somewhere before maybe?"

"I'm the Cole Train, baby!" Cole explains this and gives the impression that he's some sort of god. 'Course that's not at all unusual for him.

Clarkle blinks a few times as he stares at Cole and then it finally hits him like a two-ton car. "Oh, I remember you now! You played Thrashball for the Cougars and Eagles! Damn, you were good. Most of my friends thought you were a lousy show-off that liked to prance around gloating, but I thought differently. That's why I always won all the bets..."

"Well, you know what they say, Clarke. Haters gonna hate no matter what. No haters got nothing on this!" Cole replies proudly and rather loudly.

A few other soldiers hear him and curiously approach us slowly. Some of them recognize Cole and start swarming around to talk to him excitedly while Baird watches cynically.

"Great! We found Cole's _fan club_!" Baird complains in exasperation.

"Don't hate the playa, Baird. Hate the game," Cole advises him.

Baird rolls his eyes and badly mimics Cole's voice in saying,"Don't hate the playa, Baird, hate the game! I'm so great, woo hoo! Come here and let me sign your ass, baby!" In my opinion, his version of Cole's voice sounds like a drag queen who's trying to sound like a woman.

I'm amused by their interaction and it makes me crack a small smile. In a lot of ways, I think Baird and Cole are the comic relief of the team.

I shake my head at them and then settle my gaze on Clarke again. A few pinpricks of unwanted memories resurface, but I push them away just as quickly as they had come. I don't like thinking about the past much. There's no point dwelling on old things that have come and gone. It only makes me feel bitter resentment at myself. And regret.

Dom looks at me and asks slowly, "How do you two know each other?"

His question seems normal and causal, but I can sense something off in it. I may not be the brightest guy, but I can still read in between the lines.

"I knew him from prison. We were on the same cell block," I explain in a clipped tone of voice that implies heavily that it's not something I want to discuss. Hell, most people who went to prison, maximum or minimum security, usually didn't enjoy taking a trip down memory lane.

"Oh..." Dom nods and seems to understand because he doesn't try to push me to expand on it.

* * *

A few minutes later, Clarke comes to speak to both Dom and I.

An odd look crosses Dom's face, but just as quickly as it had come, it's gone. He looks like he wants to say something, but he keeps his mouth shut for whatever reasons. He is always good at holding himself back from saying something stupid...unlike Baird...

"You guys look like _shit_. We have some extra rooms, but you'll have to share. We only have two spare rooms, two men per room. But I'm sure you guys can work something out," Clarke informs us and gestures in the direction of the...lodgings.

"Thanks, I'll sort that out after we feed the _kids_," I decide and as if on cue, I hear Baird complaining about being hungry. He pointedly stares at Clarke and me as if we are his parents or something.

"You guys got any food? I sure hope you do because if you don't, I'm gonna resort to eating Cole," Baird exclaims in frustration that indicates that half of his statement may not be a joke.

"That's _not_ cool, baby," protests Cole with a look that seems to tell Baird to shut the hell up unless he wants to have a date with Cole's boot.

I smirk. That would be the day.

"I can have one of my men show you around," Clarke starts and gestures for one of his cogs. One of them immediately walks over to him and he explains what he wants them to do.

"Dom, you go with him and get those brats fed...and _showered_, if at all possible. I'm going to try to contact Control again," I order and Dom nods before he turns and walks away with the soldier.

I then make another attempt to contact Control, but still..._nothing_.

As if reading my mind, Clarke says, "Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you. There's a razor storm coming, We've been trying to get in touch with Command through the Comm, but no luck. Don't know what's goin' on anymore..."

I nod and as we stand there in silence next to one another, I feel something weird. It;s like a strange feeling that's telling me that something was hanging between us that needed to be said.

Clarke watches Dom disappear into a building with Cole and Baird. Before I could speak or even walk away, he comments, "So that's Dom, eh? Seems like a good guy."

I glance at him, unsure of where he was going with this. "Yeah, he is..."

"You're right. He does give a strong impression. Strong, yet sensitive. I'd hate to see him angry," Clarke adds as an afterthought.

"What?" I look at him in confusion. He seems to know more than he should. I don't like that.

A look of realization hits him then. "You don't remember? You used to talk about Dom _all_ the time. And about Carlos, too. And Anya. But you **never** did like talking about your father. That was one thing you refused to speak of."

I look away, still moderately confused. My memory is fuzzy, but I can still feel as if this is all familiar somehow. I finally settle for mumbling, "No, I don't remember."

"You don't remember anything? Is it because you don't remember...or is it because you won't remember?" Inquires Clarke and there's something sharp in his eyes that makes me quickly look away. Dammit.

"Maybe it's both," I admit after a silence of around ten minutes.

Clarke looks as if, like Dom, he wants to say something, but instead he shakes his head and speaks in a placid tone of voice, "If you want to talk about anything, I'm around."

I nod and mumble,"Thanks, Isaac."

I start walking away, but stop and turn around to face Clarke when I hear him call out, "Oh, and Marcus?"

Clarke grabs my jaw and searches my face for something. As if satisfied that he has found it, he then leans in close and _kisses_ me on the lips. It's brief and before I can react to it, he walks away smoothly as if nothing had happened.

I stand there stunned. Stunned not because another man has kissed me today, but stunned because Clarke's mouth felt familiar. Too familiar. It felt like something I had been used to. Something I had once known long ago.

_Shit_...


	6. CH05Score

**"Points of Authority"**

By: _God of Insanity_

Pairing(s): Marcus/Dom, Dom/Marcus, and Possibly Other pairings apply

Summary: Set loosely after Jacinto sinks. Post Gears of War2. Set before GOW3.

Warning(s): M/M YAOI, LEMONS, SPOILERS, Blood, horror, Oral, Maledom, D/s, Character Death, and other warnings apply.

_**A/N**_:_** Thanks for all reviews, reads, and the like. **_

_Disclaimer(s):_ _I do not own Gears of War. This is fanfiction. Notice the fan in front of fiction. I merely own my own ideas and the effort I put into these fan fictions. I make no profit whatsoever._

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* * *

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CH-05-_Score_

An hour later, I find myself standing alone under a soothing hot spray of water, The water cascades down my body, rinsing away most of the blood, sweat, dirt, and other filth.

Time seems to stop here. It reminds me of my incarceration...

_Shower. Eat. Fight. Sleep. Wake. Eat. Fight. Eat. Fight. Sleep. Wake. Eat. Fight. Eat. Fight. Eat. Fight. Shower. Sleep..._

The ironic thing now is that even after Dom freed me, the routine hasn't changed much except in the way that I don't have to stay in a cell all day. Either way, I'm still headed for a grave.

My eyes close of their own accord and I fall asleep standing up. The water runs hot for another ten minutes before it runs startlingly cold. In spite of the sudden chilly water, I do not wake or even stir.

It's almost as if I'm dead...

* * *

I wake up with a start and I nearly stumble down. My hand hits the shower wall, preventing me from falling. I lean over, breathing hard, and shaking. Haunting images flicker rapidly behind my eyes in such a way that even though they're there, I don't know what they are. They fade away like darkness creeping away from a sunrise.

I don't remember what the dream was about. All I can recall is the tormenting feeling that it leaves behind. _Fear. Pain. Loss. Regret. Anger. Hate. Loneliness..._

It all mixes together and knots up in the center of my chest. It's constricting almost like a snake wrapped around my torso and squeezing my insides, tightening...pressure, pressure...

After a few minutes, or hours, (_who knows_),I recover from my attack. I suddenly realize that I'm hunched over in the shower/. I don't even remember falling asleep and I have no damn idea how long I was out for.

Rising, my tired knees buckle a little under my weight. I turn the water off and gingerly step out. There's a towel nearby, so I grab it and wrap it around my waist and tuck it till it's a snug fit. I then exit the shower room to walk down the hallway. It's quiet and dark walk all the way to the room me and are sharing.

I stealthily slip inside in case he's sleeping, but Dom is no where in sight. That's fine with me as long as his ass isn't off getting himself killed or something stupid like that.

Sighing, I fall back on the closest bed. I mean to get up and get dressed, but I feel boneless. I just lay there on my back and I stare up at the ceiling. My breath eventually slows and evens out as if I were already sleeping. I slide my eyes shut in an effort to get some sleep.

The moment my eyes close, I hear the door slowly open and someone enters the room quietly. I then hear the door close almost silently and the person starts walking again. I know it's Dom by the way that he moves.

"Marcus, you still awake?" Dom whispers and if I hadn't been straining my ears to hear him, I wouldn't have heard him,

I don't answer and I continue to feign sleep. If the need arises, I'm very good at pretending to be unconscious or playing dead.

Dom sighs and walks over, his steps careful and light. He lowers himself slowly down on the edge of my bed and I can feel his dark gaze burning into me.

Ten minutes or so passes of him watching me. He doesn't say or do anything. It's as if he's testing me or something. I don't like it, but I'm not about to let him win this.

The bed dips a little as he leans over and I still pretend to be unconscious even as I feel the bare fingers of his hand touch my face. His fingertips skim over my forehead, eyelids, nose, and cheekbones. He traces my scar with his index finger as if mesmerized by it. His fingers trail down my face until they finally stop at my lips. Out of all the areas, they linger there the longest.

There's something strangely comforting about his touch and I find that all the bad feelings that festers inside me vanish almost completely.

Dom leans his body over until I can feel his breath against my face for the barest of moments. Then he closes in the distance by brushing his lips against mine in what I'd call a '_chaste_' kiss.

My eyes fly open as soon as I feel his mouth on mine and I see that he's looking straight at me. He sits up and stares at me in a '_I caught ya, you bastard, haha_' sort of way. There's a small, but smug smile on his face as he says, "Faker..."

I growl, "shut up..."

Dom smiles a real smile. My chest clenches, but not from any kind of pain.

"You know how I knew that you were faking it?" He asks and I pretend not to notice his eyes raking over my nearly naked body. Thank god for the towel, but I bet he wants to rip it off. I don't fail to notice the fingers of one of his hands flexing as if fighting said temptation.

"Oh yeah?"

"You look like an _angel_ when you sleep," He replies as the corners of his lips twitch in an attempt to keep himself from smiling or laughing.

I shoot him a hard, level look that shows him that I'm not buying his bullshit. "Not even a rook would believe that."

"Haha, you're right," Dom agrees easily enough.

"Well? How did you know?"

"I know you. That's how I knew," Answers Dom as if that explains everything.

"Uh huh," I snort and pull myself up into a sitting position and as I do so, some of my muscles visibly flex. Dom notices and bites his bottom lip then quickly looks away.

"Uh, Marcus, where are your clothes?" Dom asks slowly, glancing at me from the corner of his eyes.

"Where I left them," I reply sarcastically.

Dom shook his head and sighed, "Marcus, quit being an ass..."

"Make me," I snap at him, but it comes out more playful than anything else, which is not a good idea since I'm pretty much naked here. I'm not too keen on being stared at like I'm dinner or something, so I cough.

The coughing rips him out of whatever trance he's in and he looks at me. He looks like he wants to say something, but he keeps his mouth shut. Something is buggin' him and I want to know, but I'm sure he'll eventually tell me. He always does.

Suddenly, I notice how weary he looks. Sighing, I pat him on the shoulder and say, "Why don't you get some sleep? I'm about to pass out as it is."

Dom nods slowly, "Good idea. Night, Marcus..."

I'm relieved until I feel his hand on the side of my face. I turn and look at him. That's when he leans in close and kisses the corner of my mouth. Then he pushes himself off the bed and goes to lay down on the other one.

I blink a few times and then shake my head. I'm too tired to think straight at the moment so I tug the sheet out and lay back down. I make sure the sheet is wrapped around my hips before I fall back against the bed. One of the last things I wanted to do was wake up stark ass naked. Towels do have that wonderful ability of falling off.

Even though I'm tired as hell, it takes nearly an hour before I drift into a dreamless sleep. The last thought that passes through my mind before I lose consciousness is about Dom and those damned lips of his. And then nothing.

* * *

Several hours or so later, I hear voices outside the door. I recognize all three of them. I groan and turn on my stomach and bury my face into the pillow. I barely hear them over the heavy pounding of the razor rain, but I can still make out what they're saying if I strain my ears enough.

"Someone needs to go wake up _sleeping beauty_," Baird points out as if it's something really important that needs to be done.

"Baby, let the man sleep. He always has to put up wit your bitchin', Baird. A little break from you will do him good, baby," Cole says in his best attempt to whisper.

"Yeah, it's not like we can go anywhere today. We can't leave until the razor storm passes," Dom speaks in an effort to soothe both men. Out of the three of them, he has the most potential to lead so if anything ever happens to me, I know that they'll do just fine.

Due to these thoughts, I am reminded of the fact that Dom never got promoted again because of me. Because he stood up for me at the trial, everyone pretty much questioned his loyalty to the COG. While they respected him deeply for being so loyal to a fellow man, it bothered them that his loyalty runs deeper for me than for the COG. I can't say I blame them, but then again it makes me wonder what the difference between me and the COG is. I think they were just pissed because they figured out he has a mind of his own and isn't some damn drone of a soldier. 'Course that probably doesn't mean too much to them anymore. After all, this is a desperate war and we're all Cogs...

"I'm not bitching. All I'm saying is that it's better if he's awake just in case we get attacked or _something_," Baird says in his attempt to reason with them.

Cole laughs and teases, "Aw, Baird misses Marcus."

"Is that true? I had no idea your first few dates went so well..." Dom joins with Cole to poke fun at the blond soldier.

At this point, I'm already dressed and I'm leaning against the doorway, both of my arms crossed. They didn't even notice when I had opened the door. They are too busy messing around with each other to notice that I'm standing less than three feet away from them. I'm surprised they don't feel the weight of my glare, either. Jack asses.

"Shut the fuck up and quit being faggots!" Baird hisses and it's obvious they have touched a nerve in him. His face is red, his blue eyes narrowed, and he just looks..._pissed_.

He receives nothing in reply save for loud laughter that resonates down the hallway.

"Why don't you all shut the hell up," I say as I slowly, yet purposely step towards them.

They all immediately stop laughing and look as if they have been caught looking at gay porn. It makes me smirk at their expense.

"How much did you hear?" Dom asks sheepishly.

I growl,"Enough," then I turn and start walking away. I'm not really much in the mood to berate them for their misconduct, but then again I never do. I usually just tell them to shut the hell up and then go about my business.

If what they said was true about the razor storm, then I needed to talk to Clarke so I could get a much more clear idea about what's going on. Then I can figure out what our next course of action will be.

* * *

Once I'm outside, I walk under the protective covering that links itself to each and every one of the buildings. From how strong it looks and the fact that it's there, it's obvious this particular region gets razor hail a lot. What a relief, huh.

I almost immediately spot Clarke standing outside and he looks as if he's watching the razor hail fall down, hitting the ground and other various objects. At that moment, in his contemplative state, he looks as old as I feel.

I walk over to him and then stop at his side. I don't say anything, yet. I'm going to wait until he acknowledges that I'm there.

Dom and the rest are outside, too, but they remain a good distance away, as if to give me some space. I can't say that I don't appreciate that.

After a few moments of silence, Clarke doesn't turn his gaze away from the rain, but he does speak. "Sometimes I think this planet is dying. I wonder if there's any point in fighting for something that's going to die soon, anyway."

"You think we should give up?" I ask slowly and carefully. He has always been more of a thinker than a soldier. Then again he had been an engineer before he had been drafted into the army. That had been a few years or so before Emergence Day. They had forced him into the army, trained him, and then made him design and build machines for them. I know it wasn't something he liked to do but he was damned good at what he did.

I bet if Baird knew that Clarke was an engineer than he would be sorely jealous. I know Baird had always wanted to be an engineer, but his father had had other plans for him...like the military, for example.

"No, of course not. I just wonder if all of this is _futile_..." Clarke says, shaking his head.

"Maybe it is, and maybe it isn't. Either way, we've lost too many people to turn back now. All we got left are two choices: we die fighting, or we die sitting on our asses doing jack shit," I say to him and it's

obvious by my tone that I believe in doing the former over the latter of the two choices.

Clarke smiles and then finally looks at me. "You never give up, do you?"

"Guess not," I mutter and I'm suddenly aware of this thick, awkward feeling that rises inside me. I'm not sure if he can feel it, but he doesn't seem bothered at all.

"I like your squad. They're all very..._colorful_ characters," Clarke speaks with genuine truth. He is the type of person that when he does speak his mind, he doesn't like to sully it with lies. He hates liars as much as he hates locusts. Well, maybe not as much as locusts, but still it was pretty high up on his list of things he loathed.

I nod and I'm pretty sure there's a wry grin on my scarred face. Honestly, in these hard times, those three guys make everything more bearable. They're my family now, I guess. Being around them almost feels the same as being around Carlos and Dom when we were kids. Ah, well. Nothing ever stays the same.

Clarke watches me out of the corner of his eye and says, "You're still not much of a talker, Fenix."

"So sue me..."

"You know, that was pretty fucked up that Hoffman left you in that prison to die. Everyone was pardoned, but he didn't send anyone to release you. By the time I figured out you hadn't been released, the Jacinto prison had been eradicated..."

"Yeah, shit flies both ways," I comment and wonder where he's going with this.

Clarke glances over at Dom and smiles as if he knows a secret. "You've got yourself a damn loyal friend, Marcus. He risked his ass getting you out. I'm glad he did, though. I've also heard about the things he's done for you. If that isn't loyalty, than I don't know what is."

"I know," I reply quietly and avert my eyes to the ground.

Clarke pats me heavily on the back, but I barely feel it because of my gear. "I know what you came out here for. All we know is that the storm isn't going to let out for a couple more days. You can try to risk your asses by taking a car, if you want. I don't recommend it, though."

That news doesn't particularly make me happy, but it doesn't make me unhappy, either. I look to him and nod, "Thanks. I think we'll stay here until it passes, if you have no objections to that. We don't have any missions so I'm not going to risk our asses driving around senselessly. Haven't heard anything from Control or Command in over a day. It'll be better to sit tight for now."

"You and your boys are welcome to stay here as long as you need," Clarke consents before he starts walking away. "Oh, and before this day is over, I have some things to talk to you about, Fenix. They can wait till later, though."

"Got it," I reply and turn around to walk over to Delta.

"What's the news, Marcus, baby?" Cole asks and I can see the apprehension in all their faces.

"The storm is going to be over in a couple hours. We'll be leaving as soon as it's safe. Oh, and Command has a job for us to do, too," I lie through my teeth at them. I do it so convincingly good that they believe me.

"Really? That's great," Dom cheers and looks relieved.

"Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout, baby!" Cole whoops and pumps his arms in the air.

Baird looks relieved, too, in his own sceptically irritating Baird-like way. He's watching me closely as if trying to detect something.

A slow smile creeps onto my face and there's something cruel about it as I reply, "_Gotcha_."

It then dawns on all three of them that I had been lying. Before they can protest or bitch at me, I beat them to the punch by saying, "We're stuck here for a couple days until further notice, boys. Make the best of it."

Then I smoothly walk away with a big ass shit-eating smile on my face.

_Cole/Dom/Baird-0_

_Marcus-1_

_

* * *

_

**TBC...**


	7. CH06Erase

**"Points of Authority"**

By: _God of Insanity_

Pairing(s): Marcus/Dom, Dom/Marcus, and Possibly Other pairings apply

Summary: Set loosely after Jacinto sinks. Post Gears of War2. Set before GOW3.

Warning(s): M/M YAOI, LEMONS, SPOILERS, Blood, horror, Oral, Maledom, D/s, Character Death, and other warnings apply.

_**A/N**_:_** Thanks for all reviews, reads, and the like. **_

_Disclaimer(s):_ _I do not own Gears of War. This is fanfiction. Notice the fan in front of fiction. I merely own my own ideas and the effort I put into these fan fictions. I make no profit whatsoever._

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* * *

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CH-06-_Erase_

The rest of the day passes without incident or anything else that could have been interesting. Everyone is pretty much doing their own thing to pass the time.

Baird made himself useful by repairing things. He's irritated, but doesn't say anything as Clarke hovers around him, watching his every move like a scrutinizing old school teacher.

Cole busies his time by talking to the other soldiers and playing games with them...like poker. I don't know what they're gambling with and I don't really give a damn. And naturally, Cole wins every single time. They think he's cheating, which he probably is, but he plays it off. I don't really care, so yeah, whatever gets his rocks off.

Dom stays near me for most of the day. We don't say much, but he's not far from view. Most of the time I'm sitting or leaning against something. There's really nothing to do and I'm not really in the mood to talk. Dom seems to pick up on this, which is why he doesn't say much to me unless he deems it important. That and I don't mind his presence and if I need to be alone, he somehow always knows.

I can tell everyone is pretty much relieved for a little R&R, but like me, none of them like to sit around and do nothing for long. Cole likes to kill locusts, so the fact that there hasn't really been any lately bothers him. Baird doesn't feel the same way as Cole, but he likes to keep himself busy, too. Whether it's fixing something or complaining, or both. And Dom...well, Dom is another story.

* * *

It's not until the next morning that our prayers get answered.

Several Emergence holes surface from the ground and the locusts crawl out as most of us lay sleeping.

I am already awake and dressed. Something felt odd to me earlier which is why I was already awake. The feeling ate at me that something was wrong. I grab my gun and head outside to check to see what really, if anything, is eating away at me.

A bullet zips past me and I quickly duck down and return fire. I quickly take a look to scope out how many there are and well, fuck, there's too many to count. Instead of freaking out like a rookie would, I remain cool headed and kill as many as I can from my position.

Like clockwork, Dom, Baird, and Cole run outside and duck down near me.

"Oh yeah, baby! We're having grubs for breakfast today!" Cole cheers and starts shooting at them with the usual _Cole Train_ vigor.

"I'll pass..." Baird mutters in disgust and shoots one of the locust in the head.

Dom edges closer to me and asks, "How long you been out here, Marcus?"

"Long enough," I growl and shoot one of the pathetic locusts dead. It had been trying to crawl away to safety by I had had other plans for the dirt bag.

"What the hell...is that what I think it is?" Baird makes his thoughts loudly known and gestures with his gun over towards the far left.

I look and sure enough there's a few suspiciously glowing freak shows hopping over towards us.

_Lambent wretches._

They emit their usual, high-pitched shrill shriek as they attempt to close in on us.

"What are the lambent doing out here?" Dom asks as me and him shoot all the wretches dead.

"Don't know," I mumble and I use the scope on my sniper to check our surroundings. There's a shitload of locusts and they just keep coming and coming. So far there's only the typical drones and none of the other annoyances. No boomers, no reavers, no brumaks...

I hear a commotion and see that Clarke and his men are outside with us. They're all taking cover and shooting at the enemy. When I feels my eyes on him, he turns and winks at me. I scowl at him. He just shakes his head and smiles at me before he turns his attention back on killing the locusts. I almost want to hate him.

We hear the locusts screaming in rage, but somehow I can tell it's not directed towards us. I hear more gunfire from a different direction and when I glance towards said direction I see lambent locust. They're not even paying us any attention and seem to be more focused on killing the other locust.

Before I know it, Clarke is crouched down at my side watching them curiously. He mutters, "So it's true then...they have _glowing_ freaks."

I nod and say, "Yeah the Locust Queen hates them and wants them _dead_..."

Baird overhears us and shouts, "Yeah, guess that bitch has her hands full now, eh?"

"Well thank god for civil war, then..." Clarke says, but trails off when he remembers that at one point in time we had all been at civil war with humanity. It ended abruptly on E-day.

In a matter of minutes, we manage to kill them all, including the lambent. When we deem it safe, we all get up and scope the area. Any that are alive we immediately take action to kill them. All and all...it was a pretty damn good morning.

* * *

An hour or so later, I stand outside by myself. I feel someone approaching and I know exactly who it is by the way he quietly and carefully walks.

It's Clarke. He walks just like a Native American Indian. Then again, he is half Indian, so that's not so surprising.

"Looks like the storm has passed..." Clarke comments in a neutral tone of voice.

Some part of me regrets that the storm is over, but I quickly shrug it away. Whenever my feelings try to surface I tend to knock 'em back down. They never did me much good anyway so it was useless in my opinion to think about 'em. "Looks like it..."

Clarke smirks, "Don't think you're going to weasel out of our little talk, Fenix."

I smirk back, "Damn and here I thought I was going to get away with it..."

"The hell you are, old man. I know you're getting old, but that doesn't entitle you from getting away with shit," he comments from his place standing beside me.

Something about us jabbing at each other and his presence feels so comfortable and familiar. Like an old friend or something like that. I shake my head and there's a laugh in my voice as I say, "Shut the hell up."

After that Clarke switches from amused to serious. He doesn't look at me and instead opts for staring at the horizon. "You know, I meant it when I told you it's good to see you again. I know we didn't meet under the greatest of circumstances and the environment we were in was pretty much well..."

"_Hell?_" I offer in the best way that I can help him describe it.

"Yeah, we'll go with that," He smiles, but still avoids looking at me.

Before I could say anything else, someone yells about something but it's incoherent. Gunfire blasts all around us and I can't make out what's being shouted. I grab my gun and start running to see what the hell is going on.

Once again, there's locusts everywhere, including the lambent ones. I immediately crouch down and start killing them as fast and efficiently as I can.

"_Marcus!_" Clarke shouts and I look at him and I see fear tear through his facial features for a moment, yet I'm not sure why until I see him running at me.

It happens so fast that all that registers through my mind is that Clarke is pushing me down to the ground for some reason. There's an explosion and then everything goes **dark**...

* * *

An indeterminable amount of time passes before I wake up from the dark place I had been in.

I don't see anything for a moment and I'm not sure what's going on. A light enters my eyes and I force my body up and hold my head in one hand. It feels like I have a splitting migraine and not to mention I feel dizzy and weak.

"Marcus, lay down," I hear a familiar voice tell me as I feel hands forcing me to lay back against what I'm assuming is a bed. As soon as I lay back down, the pressure in my head fades a bit and I no longer feel so dizzy. I look towards my left and see Dom standing near me. He looks worried as if he were on the verge of losing someone or something important to him.

"How do you feel?" Dom asks as he sits back down in a chair that's near the hospital bed.

I groan, but dredge up an answer anyway, "like _shit_."

"If Clarke hadn't pushed you down, you probably would be in pieces right now..." Dom says and I can tell by his tone that he thinks more highly of my friend now.

"What happened? Is Isaac all right?" I ask sitting up fast and I instantly regret it. Dom shakes his head and forces me to lay down. I assume he's fine by the expression on Dom's face.

"He's better off than you are. He mostly just has some minor cuts and scrapes. He had some shrapnel in his back, but the medic removed it and he's walking around as if nothing happened. Basically, one of those assholes threw a frag at you and Clarke pushed you down..."

I don't say anything and sigh quietly to myself. One of my legs hurts like hell and feels unbearably sore.

Dom must have read my mind because he then says next, "The fall fractured your left femur. It's a miracle your leg isn't broken, actually. You have a concussion, and have some cuts and bruising, but otherwise you're fine. You'll heal right if you stay immobile, so you better keep your ass in bed."

I groan, "This is just fucking great..."

"Could be worse, Marcus. I'm glad you're OK, though," Dom says quietly in his most serious, sensitive voice. Sometimes I hate hearing that tone because it reminds me of things I'd rather not think about and makes me feel mixed feelings.

"Yeah, yeah...you're right," I mutter and look away.

"While you were out cold, both Command and Control got in touch with us. Hoffman wants us to sit tight around this area since this area seems to have the most action and he wants us to be certain that the threat has been eliminated," Dom starts and pauses as he studies me. He can't see my face since I'm turned away, but I know that he can read my body language.

I grumble something and I'm not too thrilled at being stationed here for any amount of time. I really don't want to remain here because of more...blah, well, let's just call 'em personal reasons.

Dom stifles a laugh at my response and continues, "Oh and Anya wishes you well and hopes for a speedy recovery."

Ha, if Anya only knew the half of it she wouldn't love me as she claims she does. She doesn't know me as well as she thinks she does. Strong woman and good friend that she is, I know and always have known that she was never the one for me. Guess that's why I never made a move. Any sane, heterosexual man with even an ounce of love for Anya would have grabbed her for himself years ago.

Guess that says a lot about me.

Repressed memories then try their hardest to resurface again and I push them back down. No, I don't want to think about any of that, dammit. I want to _forget_ it all...

* * *

The dream is the same as it always has been. It's one of those dreams that likes to revisit me time and time again. I'm not entirely sure what sets it off, but it seems random and happens whenever it feels like it, I guess. Or maybe I just can't, or _won't_...see the connection.

But this time...the ending of the dream is _different_.

In this dream, I'm in a familiar house. I don't remember who's house it is or even if it has personal significance, but it's a house I used to know at one point in time.

It's dark and there's no sounds at all. It's the kind of silence you can't even imagine. The kind of silence that only a deaf man would know of. The kind that could drive anyone insane. It's _maddening_.

I'm standing in what looks to be a living room. I look around and see normal things that a room like that would have. Then I look across the room and I see myself sitting on something. A couch maybe. I look as if I'm asleep, or close to it. Or maybe I'm just dead.

It's so strange to look at myself in this dream. It's like I'm looking into a mirror and seeing myself for the first time. I barely recognize myself in this dream compared to what I look like now. I look a little younger and there's no scar marring the side of my face.

There's a flicker of movement and I see a slender form walking over to my body. It's obviously a woman, but I can't see her face. She's wearing a blank white mask that covers her entire face. No holes of any kind to show her nose, mouth, or even her eyes.

"Marcus..." She speaks quietly and in such a way that could make any man feel weak. Strangely enough, her voice does not disturb the silence.

I stir a little, but I do not wake up.

The woman then crawls into my lap and slides her legs over my thighs, effectively straddling me. I still don't wake up or seem to even notice that she's there.

There's something wrong about this scene, yet I don't know why. I don't know why she's doing this or even who the hell she is. I don't even know if she's real or not. For all I know, she could be Anya or some made up woman that I made up in my head to satisfy some deep-rooted loneliness.

Her small hands slide over my chest in the way someone would touch their lover. She presses her body closer and her lips touch my neck. She whispers feverishly things that I can't hear, or maybe things that I won't hear. Either way, I don't know what the hell she's saying.

The masked woman leans in and presses her mouth against my still mouth in a way that could not be mistaken for any other kiss but a lover's kiss.

It's at that moment that my body does stir awake. My eyes blink open and I see myself staring at her. Shock registers on my tired face and I see my mouth move as if I'm saying something. Like her, I don't hear the words. I can only see what happens and watch the emotions that pass over my face.

I see her hands glide all over my body as if trying to arouse a reaction from me. I see myself sitting frozen as a corpse as she touches me. The shock is still there and I can tell I still quite don't believe what she's doing. But the moment her hands travel down south,ghosting over my crotch, I grab her by the waist and lift her off. I drop her none too gently on the couch and jump to my feet.

The woman slowly stands up and doesn't seem at all put off by what I did. I can only imagine that she's smiling since I can't see her face. I get the distinct impression that she's saying something right now, but I don't know what.

My back is facing me so I walk closer and angle myself so I can see more clearly what's going on.

I can see that the shock has worn off by now. It's replaced by anger and it's quite obvious from the defensive stance my body has taken that I'm not amused. It's the way I would stand near an enemy.

She moves closer and tries to touch me again, yet this time it's in a more pleading way.

I see myself step back away from her and I can tell that I'm yelling at her by the way my mouth moves and the way the muscles on my neck are bulge out. My hands are also clenched into tight, shaking fists at my sides as if I'm tempted to hit her.

It's at that moment that the woman turns away from my other self and starts walking over to me. My other self flickers like static and then is gone.

She is in front of me and before I can even think to do anything, she touches my face lovingly. She traces the length of my scar with the tips of her fingers and I flinch. I turn my face away from her.

"Oh, my poor, sweet Marcus..." She coos and I'm surprised that I can hear her, but that doesn't mean I want to hear her speak. I'm also not too happy about being called poor or sweet like I'm her child or something.

I look at her and snap, "What do you want?"

The masked woman touches my scar again and this time I don't turn away. Even though I can't see her face, it feels as if she's staring directly at me. She forces me to lean over a bit and she leans up to press her lips against my scar. I can't see her lips, but I can feel them.

I'm about to pull away from her when she clamps her hands on the sides of my face in what I'd call a death grip. Her lips travel to my ear and it's then when I hear her whisper, "So much pain, so much turmoil. It's all in you...locked away inside. You need to let it out, Marcus."

"I don't want to," I whisper back almost hoarsely.

"You are afraid and ashamed. You are angry and resentful. You feel such guilt and pain. Instead of dealing with it, you shove it all inside some dark place. You hide it from view because you don't want to remember. But you must remember. And remember...you _will_."

I somehow break away from her insanely strong grip and back away. I instantly demand, "Who the hell are you?"

"Oh, I think you know..."

I shake my head, "No, I don't know."

She tilts her head to the side and inquires, "Do you really want to know?"

I nod curtly.

"If I do show you who I am...then there is no turning back, Marcus. Do you still want to see?"

I don't answer right away. Something inside my mind is screaming _No!_, but at this very moment, my curiosity is far stronger than my fear.

With my decision made, I look at her with resolution and I affirm, "I want to know."

"Very well, but I can't take the mask off. Only you can," speaks the cryptic woman.

Throwing away all hesitation, I step forward and I slowly removed her mask as if I were uncovering some dark, yet anticipated secret.

Then for the first time since I've had this dream many, many times...

I see her face.

The mask clatters noiselessly to the floor.

_Oh, no..._

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**TBC...**


	8. CH07Evoke

**"Points of Authority"**

By: _God of Insanity_

Pairing(s): Marcus/Dom, Dom/Marcus, and Possibly Other pairings apply

Summary: Set loosely after Jacinto sinks. Post Gears of War2. Set before GOW3.

Warning(s): M/M YAOI, LEMONS, SPOILERS, Blood, horror, Oral, Maledom, D/s, Character Death, and other warnings apply.

_**A/N:**_ I realized that Marcus calls his friends by their first names, so I'm going to be referring to Clarke as Isaac now and I'll go back later and edit that in the precious chapters. BTW, I'm reading Aspho Fields and so far it's really good. 8D

_Disclaimer(s):_ _I do not own Gears of War. This is fanfiction. Notice the fan in front of fiction. I merely own my own ideas and the effort I put into these fan fictions. I make no profit whatsoever._

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* * *

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"_He outranked me! I couldn't say no!"_-Frank Barone [_**Everybody Loves Raymond**_]

* * *

CH-07-_Evoke_

"Welcome back to consciousness, sleepy head," greets a voice I know.

I turn my head and see Isaac sitting in the chair near the bed. He looks a little smug as if he knows something along with something else I can see in his face, but I'm not sure what it is.

"Where's Dom?" I ask slowly.

Isaac leans back in the chair and folds his arms over his chest and replies smoothly, "Sleeping, I presume. I hope he is. He's been sitting here ever since your ass met that frag. I had to force him to go since he looked like he was about to keel over. He's stubborn, that one is. Didn't want to leave you alone so I offered to keep a watch on you."

I grumble to myself and then say, "He worries too much. No one needs to watch me. I don't even know why I need to be in this bed."

"Aha, so that's _why_. He wants to make sure you keep your ass in bed. You're a stubborn ass," Isaac says in amusement.

"Shut up," I growl and look away. Truth is, I feel like shit inside and out. My body is sore and my leg doesn't feel too peachy, but what does bother me the most is something that isn't physical. The mental and emotional force of it is so strong that I'm numb from the pain of it at the moment. I had already woken up an hour ago, but had kept my eyes closed. I was good at feigning sleep and Dom is the only one alive who can tell whether I'm faking or not.

During that fateful hour, memories assaulted me as I lay stunned from the sheer power and revelation of them all. These are all things I had once known, but locked away. Repressed. And I can't say it feels good to remember most of them again. But as much as I hate remembering, I can't help but feel relieved that the heavy burden has lifted tremendously.

I've never been a person that likes to share how I feel about anything. During all the years I knew Carlos and Dom, they were both sorely aware of the fact that I'm a wedged up person who doesn't like to talk about personal matters of _any_ kind. I can state facts easily enough, but when it comes to something of the personal nature, I clam up tight.

Something from a long time ago comes to my mind and it's about Carlos. It's about something he once said. It had been something about _resilience_. That's what Carlos had called it. He had said that a man has to be _resilient_ and not crumble at the first setback. It had been something I had taken to heart long ago and I guess it's one reason why I keep going no matter what shit happens. And I believe it's something Dom took to heart, too. Then again, Dom is more like his brother than he'll ever know.

"Ah, so now you finally remember, Fenix..." Isaac says quietly almost as if he's talking to himself and at hearing that, I look at him. I wonder how the hell he knows that, but I don't say anything.

"You hungry or thirsty?" Isaac inquires as he rises from the chair.

As if by the power of suggestion, an overwhelming thirst surges through me. My stomach is in knots and I don't think I can keep anything down long enough besides water.

He seems to read my mind though and brings me some water, which he forces me to drink slowly even though I don't want to. "Easy, easy now...we don't want you to _choke_..."

At those words, I do choke on the water because it reminds me of something he once said when we were doing something that _didn't_ involve food or water.

Isaac forces me to carefully sit up and he pats my back just hard enough to help me breathe better. I feel nauseous, but I don't say anything. I know it'll pass eventually and there's no use complaining about something futile like that.

"Here, suck on some ice. It'll help with the nausea," Isaac instructs and offers me a cup filled with chips of ice.

I slowly take it and look at him, "You seem to be one step in front of me. How do you know what I'm feeling?"

Isaac shrugs and says, "I've always been good at reading people. Especially people who don't broadcast themselves. Most people think introverted people are hard to understand, but to me that isn't true. Extroverts always put up a front and often are two-faced. But people like you...don't. If you know how to examine someone closely...then you'll know how to understand someone. All it takes is careful eyes and listening ears."

I nod at this and hearing this doesn't surprise me. I remember how intuitive he always was...and still is. For someone as young as him, he is brighter than most. I know he believes in science as well as the spiritual. He always seems like someone who takes most things in stride regardless of it being bad or good things. Never panics or acts without reason. He has the most self-control I've ever seen in a person. Sometimes it's hard to believe that he's even real.

"I remember _everything_ now," I speak slowly. I'm very hesitant to talk about it, yet I'm bursting inside by the seams.

"That's good, but don't push yourself. Your spirit is fragile right now and still needs healing. When you're ready to talk, I'm ready to listen," Isaac offers with a small smile, showing some of his white teeth.

I nod and even though I don't say it, he can tell I appreciate it. After a few long minutes, I ask, "Weren't you 19 when I met you in Jacinto?"

"I think so. I was in that prison for three years. My sentence was 30 years...almost as long as yours was, I'm guessing," Isaac replies as if we're talking about high school.

I calculate the numbers in my head and when I feel I have it correct, I state, "If you were 19 then...I think that makes you around 24 now. That right?"

"Yeah...yeah, something like that. I'll be 25 in a few months, I believe. It's hard to keep track of time these days..."

I stare at nothing in particular and grumble, "You were just a kid then. Still are in some ways. They probably drafted your ass as soon as you turned 18."

"Nothing is ever as fun if it's _not_ willing," responds Isaac in a cryptic tone that implies something more than I consciously know.

Before I can question him about that statement, Cole and Baird choose that time to unceremoniously burst into the room.

"Well, I see sunshine is finally awake," Baird comments as they walk over and stare down at me. I stare back and raise an eyebrow at them.

"How you feelin', baby?" Asks Cole in genuine concern while he nudges Baird hard.

"_Oh, right. I'm supposed to ask him how he's doing_," Baird whispers to Cole as if I can't hear. Then he inquires to me with a forced smile on his face,"So...how you doing, boss man?"

"I'll live," I say to Cole and then I reply to Baird in a certain way knowing that it would bother the hell out of him,"Real smooth, Baird. Makes me wanna love you long time."

"Shut up!" Baird hisses and his white face turns beet red in an instant.

I smirk.

Cole laughs heartily at the blond's expense and Baird hits him on the arm and tells him to _shut up_. Cole barely feels his blow and only laughs harder.

"Baird, you and your boyfriend need to be more quiet. Marcus is trying to rest as you can see. He's kind of...you know..._injured_..." Isaac says coolly with a smirk tugging restlessly at the corners of his mouth.

Cole instantly shuts up and stares at him. Baird only gets redder and grumbles something about Isaac being a stupid bastard.

I laugh this time, and _fuck_, does it hurt like hell since I have a few broken ribs, but I don't care. It's worth it, dammit.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want, Fenix..." Baird mutters almost darkly. He doesn't rise to the bait towards Isaac, but I can tell he's flustered. Isaac isn't the least bit fazed by Baird at all and I can tell that's getting to Baird. Most people get mad and lash out at the blond, but Isaac is playing it cool. I bet he's slowly getting to Baird, bit by bit. Isaac is about as patient as I am, if not even more so. I'm kinda looking forward to what he has in mind for my _favorite_ gear.

The thing about Baird is that he's the kind of person that pushes people's limits as far as he can before they snap. His constant bitching and moaning grates on everyone's nerves and most people are in _awe_ at how I don't fall for his childish ploys. I just grin and bear it, I guess. He acts like a child sometimes and I'll be damned if I'm going to let him involve me in his little kid mind games. Don't get me wrong...I do have the urge to punch his lights out at times. On more than one occasion I was about ready to strangle him like a chicken. But I didn't. I kept my cool like I always do and just move on with whatever I have to do.

Another thing about Baird that is actually useful is that he excels at figuring things out. He fixes things like no one else does (or even can) and is a pro at scavenging and putting together what he can especially when he runs out of ammo or if one of his guns fucks up. He's pretty much an expert...well THE expert on the Locust and even knows some of their language. As much as a sarcastic dumb ass Baird is, he is useful and highly intelligent. Dom and I are still waiting for Baird to be wrong. One day it'll happen. At least that's what we keep telling ourselves...

* * *

I find myself drifting to sleep every now and then. I'm always exhausted, as is every other gear that's still alive. We get as much food as we need, but the sleep is seldom. It's always been that way, but it does get to us after awhile. I'm used to it and so is everyone else, but that don't mean we like it. Which is why when we first came to this place it was odd to be able to sleep more than a couple hours. And even now, as I fall asleep and wake up several times, I feel guilty somehow. I don't like the thought of resting when everyone else doesn't get to.

But I know _Dr. Dom_ and _Nurse Isaac_ are going to go berserk if I don't follow the "doctor's" orders. Hell, I can see it now...all of them wearing medic outfits. Then Baird in a nurse's outfit comes to my mind suddenly and I feel the urge to puke. _Ugh_.

That's a terrible, horrible image. I'm sure Bernie would agree with me wholly on that.

What the hell did Isaac give me? I feel all weird and loopy. And drowsy, which may explain why I keep crashing in and out of consciousness.

I remember the water he had me drink tasted a little _funny_. Tasted like there was some sort of herb or spice in it. _Ah_, then that must be it. He slipped me something harmless, yet effective to make me sleep and to ease the pain. Crafty bastard.

I slowly peek to see if anyone else is in the room and I see Baird sitting in the chair by the window. His eyes are closed and he's slouched over a bit, but I'm not about to test him. I know that if I even try to move he'll probably wake up instantly and then annoy me to death by being _himself_.

I'm betting Dom coerced him into keeping watch over me because I sure as hell don't believe that Baird would ever willingly volunteer. The day Baird gives a damn about someone other than himself is the day the world ends. Which will probably be soon enough with the way things are going.

I lay there for a few minutes trying to decide what to do. I'm no longer drowsy. I feel like shit, but I'm bored. Not bored enough to wake up Baird, _oh fuck no_, but still bored enough to stare up forming images out of the indistinct-looking ceiling.

Several long minutes pass and my eyes start to hurt from the strain. I mutter to myself and close my eyes. I attempt to fall asleep when I hear something.

The door is partially cracked open. I can hear voices. Two of them. They sound exactly like Dom and Isaac. Aw, so they're _talking_. It doesn't sound hostile or anything. They're talking like normal people. Almost like friends. In spite of that, there is a desperate, pleading tone in Dom's voice.

I keep my eyes closed and I strain my eyes to attempt to listen. It works.

"...don't tell me you're not going to tell me anything, Clarke?"

"It's not my place to say, Dom."

"He's my friend and I want to know what's wrong with him!"

A sigh. "I know that. But it changes nothing."

For a moment there's nothing but the sound of Dom's frustrated sigh. Then some silence.

"You knew him, right? In prison? _How_ did you guys know each other? You seem friendly enough together. How close were you two?"

Isaac doesn't answer right away. I know he's hesitant to say anything to give anything away. Not because he's ashamed, but because he knows I don't talk about any of that stuff. He knows I've been repressing it and he knows it's not something I want broadcasted to everyone. If you got secrets, he's the best at keeping 'em.

Waiting. I know Dom hates waiting almost as much as he hates Locusts. I'm not surprised to hear the impatience sweating in his tone. "You going to answer me today or do I have to get in line?"

"Close enough, Dom."

"What do you mean by that?"

"That's all I'm going to say about that."

I hear a frustrated growl from Dom and it's a sound I know all to well. I can hear him pacing back and forth in the hallway, probably beside himself at this point. It's kinda funny how he's adopted some of his brother's ways. Carlos was the one who used to pace back and forth when he was anxious or upset about something. He also was the biggest worrywart I had ever seen in my entire life. He was always worrying about Dom, Maria, his nephew and niece, his parents, and me. 'Course he's not alive today to do any worrying...

"Whoa, Dom, calm down some. I'm sure he'll tell you in time."

I hear Dom abruptly stop pacing and mutter bitterly,"No...he won't. He _never_ does."

I kinda feel bad about that, though. Dom has always been my friend, my brother. Carlos' kid brother...

"Give him some time. He's trying, you know. I believe he'll come around for you," Isaac soothes him the best way that he can. That's one of the things he's best at. Even when you feel like shit, he has this surreal way of speaking that comforts you. Don't know if it's the tone or the way he words himself, but it always seems to work somehow.

"But what if he doesn't? He's _all_ I have left now. Sometimes I wonder if he's suicidal 'cuz of the way he acts. I've lost everyone else because of this damn war. I don't think I can bear losing him, too," Dom admits in a broken voice.

I regret hearing it, but it makes me realize that maybe I do need to quit the daredevil act and be a little more careful. What Dom said is true, though. All he has left is me, and all I have left is him. The happy days are long gone and we're clinging to each other because we're both all that's left of happier times.

I hear Isaac laugh a little, but I know it's not at Dom's expense. I can imagine Dom probably looks pissed at that, though. After all, he doesn't know Isaac the way I do.

"You think that's _funny?_" Dom asks in disbelief. I can hear the anger building up in his voice.

"No, I just think it's funny that you're both running in circles around each other."

"_What_?"

"You _love_ Marcus, don't you, Dom? Love as in _more_ than a brother's love."

No answer.

"It's all right if you do, Dom. Love is love in my book. It needs not a specific body whether it be male or female. It's a spiritual thing that is beyond measure and transcends time. It's something that even today we're still trying to figure out. No matter how you love Marcus, it's not wrong. It's only wrong if you deny it," Isaac speaks sagely like some sort of guru. Which he was, no doubt. For someone so damn young, he was very learned in different ways.

I'm then reminded of Tai Kaliso and I'm sure Tai and Isaac would have gotten along swimmingly. Tai had a spiritual sense about him that kind of disturbed the people around him. It didn't bother me, though. Tai hadn't been as tough as he was because of his physical strength. He had had a strong mind and strong beliefs. If both the mind and body are strong, then the man is tougher than most. It makes a lot of sense if you think about it long enough.

Dom sighs and at that moment I sigh, too. Damn Isaac for being damn right all the time. Isaac is like a nicer, less annoying version of Baird in some ways.

I smirk. Maybe we can trade Baird for Isaac. I doubt Isaac's squad would let us, though. Each one of us in Delta is already notorious for the obvious reasons and everyone has heard about how whiny and annoying Baird is. Damn useful, but damn irritating that guy is.

"You going to be OK?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine..." Dom replies and I can hear tired defeat in his voice. He's not going to deny nor confirm Isaac's suspicions.

"Good. If you need anything else, you know where to find me," Isaac offers and by the sound of boots clapping against the floor, I can tell he's walking away.

"Isaac," Dom calls out suddenly.

Isaac stops walking almost immediately. "Yeah?"

"You're right..."

"Right about what?"

"I do love Marcus. Always have. Since we were kids I've loved that guy. Just took me a long time to realize it."

"_Ayor anosh'ni_."

"What?"

"Tell Marcus..._Ayor anosh'ni_. He'll know what it means," and with that, the sound of Isaac retreating echos throughout the corridor.

And he's right. I _do_ know what it means.

* * *

**TBC...**

_**A/N: More to come within the week. Be patient and thanks for the favs, alerts, and reviews.**_

_**

* * *

**_

**Note**:_ Here is a snippet of a convo I had with one of my stalkers...erm, readers. I found it amusing so I decided to share it with you. And guess what sessholord's real name is? **MARIA**! _

_Enjoy!_

sessholord: What the hell is up with Clarke? Lol, he is certainly very...Open with Marcus.

The Red Dahlia: what do you mean what's up with clarke? *smirks*

sessholord: He acts like he has done something with Marcus, or wants to.

The Red Dahlia: done what exactly? *looks innocently at you*

sessholord: Get it on in the showers.

The Red Dahlia: LOL

The Red Dahlia: you know all the prisoners take showers together, at least 3 times a week

sessholord: Yesssss, but what happens in those showers? lol.

The Red Dahlia: I bet you'd love to know

The Red Dahlia: Well, showering happens... you know, and soap being dropped

sessholord: Yeahhh, the one thing every man would hate to have happen to them...Because BAM! Innocence gone!

The Red Dahlia: Every man? lol WHAT innocence. XD

The Red Dahlia: yeah because when you drop the soap its so damn slippery and hard to pick up

The Red Dahlia: and you could fall down ouch

sessholord: Yeah, and you have to bend over.

The Red Dahlia: So what you saying? You think Clarke and Marcus dropped the soap around each other?

The Red Dahlia: lol you can pick something up without bending over

The Red Dahlia: Clarke: *drops the soap* dammit...

The Red Dahlia: Marcus: You know what happens now...

The Red Dahlia: Clarke: nooooo!

sessholord: Hahhahahaa, maybe.

sessholord: It's possible.

The Red Dahlia: You crack me up

The Red Dahlia: Clarke: *present time in the story* You know, Fenix, I think when your leg heals we could go take a shower and practice dropping the soap a little, for old time's sake

The Red Dahlia: Marcus: Blah its just a fracture. Let's go do it now *wheel chairs over to the bathroom*

sessholord: Hhahaha, I'd hit him if i was marcus.

sessholord: Hahhahahahahaha...

The Red Dahlia: yeah you'd HIT clarke really hard

The Red Dahlia: IN THE ASS

sessholord: Yeahhhh, I think it would be better that way^^

The Red Dahlia: what would be better what way? _

The Red Dahlia: MARIA!

sessholord: Yes?

sessholord: Sorry, I am drawing a flamingo^^

The Red Dahlia: its ok

sessholord: Hmmmmmmm, the better way? They take turns in one sitting?

The Red Dahlia: I was making fun of Dom

The Red Dahlia: MARIA!

sessholord: Ohhhh, lol, oh yeah.

sessholord: I will have to remember that^^

The Red Dahlia: So what do you think

The Red Dahlia: Do you think clarke is after him, and/or already has done things with him?

sessholord: I think he has already done things.

The Red Dahlia: what sorts of things

The Red Dahlia: sexy things?

sessholord: Yes.

The Red Dahlia: do you think these were sexy consensual things?

sessholord: Ehhhhh...Not really, Marcus doesn't seem like the type...Maybe it wasn't, but he turned out to like it?

The Red Dahlia: lol so a naraku/sesshoumaru thing going on?

The Red Dahlia: XD

sessholord: Yes, lol^^

The Red Dahlia: It is possible


	9. CH08See

**"Points of Authority"**

By: _God of Insanity_

Pairing(s): Marcus/Dom, Dom/Marcus, and Possibly Other pairings apply

Summary: Set loosely after Jacinto sinks. Post Gears of War2. Set before GOW3.

Warning(s): M/M YAOI, LEMONS, SPOILERS, Blood, horror, Oral, Maledom, D/s, Character Death, and other warnings apply.

_**A/N: All I will say is I'm kinda disappointed that Epic extended the release date for GOW3. -_- We gotta wait 'till next Fall "September 2011" instead of April 2011 now. Like Dom (in the Aspho Fields novel) once said, "Hoo-fucking-rah." **_

**NOTE_: In the Gears universe, on Sera there is 26 hours in a day. Just so you know. _**

_Disclaimer(s):_ _I do not own Gears of War. This is fanfiction. Notice the fan in front of fiction. I merely own my own ideas and the effort I put into these fan fictions. I make no profit whatsoever._

* * *

"_Private Augustus Cole, ma'am, and the _really_ ugly bastard here is Corporal Damon Baird.__"_-Augustus Cole [_**Gears of War: Aspho Fields**_]

* * *

CH-08-_See_

I didn't sleep after that. Just stayed awake staring at the ceiling for hours. Or at least I think it's been a few hours. There's no clock in the room so I can't tell. I glance over to my right and see Baird's still out like a light. Most people look innocent when they sleep, but not Baird. He has that permanent sneer on his face even when he's unconscious. I don't know how he does it. He just _always_ looks like that.

I feel the urge to be cruel so I grab the nearest object, which is a cup on the bedside table near me. I aim and then chuck it at him. It hits him square in the face and he jumps from his seat like a frightened cat and stumbles a bit, but somehow still manages to catch his footing. He looks at the cup on the ground then looks at me accusingly.

I look innocently at him. Well, as innocent as a man with scars, a do-rag, and mad-dog eyes (_as Hoffman describes them_) can look.

Baird doesn't buy it for a second. "What the hell did you do that for, jackass?"

"Because I can," I reply with am amused smirk. Getting underneath his skin is just way too easy. _Sucker._

"That wasn't funny, Fenix," Baird growls and picks up the cup. He looks like he wants to throw it at me, but he throws it away instead.

"Did it hurt Baird? Because if it did...I'll happily _kiss_ the booboo for you," I offer as if I would actually do that. I wouldn't, of course.

Baird curses and doesn't look at me. I can tell he's embarrassed again. Don't know why he would be. He's good at taking gay jokes, but when it comes to me, he takes it personally. Makes me _wonder_...

As if Dom could sense anguish and discomfort, he walks into the room. He glances at Baird and raises an eyebrow, but decides not to ask what's up with him. Instead, he walks over to me and looks at me as if I'm dying.

Baird mutters something under his breath and quickly slinks out of the room without another word to either of us.

"Dom, I'm _fine_," I grumble and then when I notice he doesn't look too convinced, I add, "stop worrying so much. I'm not going to die from _this_."

"I know," Dom says slowly and sinks into the chair by the bed. I feel my heart clench when I look at him because right now he reminds me so much of Carlos.

I look away.

"How's the pain?" Dom fusses in spite of everything I have just said.

"Minimal. I've suffered worse."

"Good..."

"You know, you don't have to hover over me like you're my mother or something," I say slowly. He was fragile these days and even though I've always been a by-the-book, cautious gear, I still tread even more carefully around him.

"I know," is all Dom says.

It's quiet. Too quiet. Normally it doesn't bother me, but for some reason this silence is extra thick and heavy. Feels like it's choking me to death. Something is in the air hanging...waiting for it's chance to be discovered. We both have a lot to say, but neither of us speak.

After a maddening five minutes or so, I sit up (_and fuck that action hurts because of the frigging broken ribs_) and I turn to look at him. He's sitting on the edge of the bed and it shocks me because I hadn't realized that he had even moved in the first place.

I start, "_Dom_-"

But before I can even finish saying what I was going to say, he leans over and grabs me by the chin. He looks into my eyes as if searching for something.

I don't move.

Then he looms closer and crushes his lips hard against mine. It's not soft or yielding like a woman's kiss. It's a hungry, desperate man's kiss.

And I _love_ it.

He kisses harder and attempts to force his way into my mouth, his teeth gnashing against mine. I open almost immediately and he seeks that opportunity to thrust his tongue inside. He explores my mouth, tasting everything that he can as if he wants to devour me or something. There's nothing gentle about this, but it's not brutal, either. It's more demanding and dominating than anything else.

Countless minutes pass before he breaks away to pant raggedly against my neck for his much deprived air. I can tell he's trying to both control and compose himself. He's always been a very friendly, passionate person by nature so once he starts something, it's damn near impossible for him to stop.

He loses whatever battle he is fighting because he resumes kissing me again. This time, his mouth is on my neck, though. One of his arms holds me upright to keep me in place while his other hand slips between my legs to rub at my groin. He sucks and bites at my neck as his hand continues to fondle my half erect dick as if it is his favorite toy.

I grunt and hiss through my teeth at both the sensations of pain from my injuries and pleasure from what Dom is doing to me. I desperately want him to stop, yet something stronger inside me doesn't want him to stop.

He sucks at my adam's apple for a couple moments and then drags his teeth against it. Feeling teeth scrape against my neck adds a hint of danger along with everything else that makes me want to pull him onto the bed with me.

I arch my back and that's when a spike of pain overrides everything that feels good. It hurts like hell and I manage to grit my teeth and hiss instead of downright cursing.

Dom notices my body language and the fact that I'm in pain. He pulls away from me and looks at me like the open book that he is. He instantly looks guilty. "Oh, _shit_, Marcus, I'm sorry."

I slowly lay back down and sigh. "Forget about it."

"No, I should know better. You were lying there injured and I took advantage of you," He protests in an effort to berate himself and apologize at the same time. Being the good guy that he is, he often blames himself personally for things.

Hell, after Aspho Fields, Dom blamed himself for years and years for his brother's death. I blamed myself, too. But in all reality, it was no one's fault. Even though Carlos fucked up and cost the lives of a couple men and his own, he was a fucking hero and that is all anyone has to know. I probably would have died if he hadn't blown himself up with a frag. But then again...I find myself wishing our places had been switched and that I had died instead of him. Wishful thinking, eh?

"Yeah, well, maybe I _liked_ it, Dom. Ever think of that?"

Dom doesn't seem to have a reply for that. He just blinks and stares at me in surprise. I can tell that he's still trying to get used to the idea that I'm interested in him.

"I'm going to take a long ass _cold_ shower, Marcus. Then I'll be back. You better keep your ass in bed or I'll fuck you until you can't move whether you have broken ribs or not," Dom warns before he kisses me hard on the mouth again and then he walks out a little stiffly.

_Fuck..._

_

* * *

_

_A Few days later, 2500 hours_

Baird and Cole had dragged a table into the room and a couple of chairs to go along with it. They did that so they could have a table to sit at while playing cards or whatever else to pass the time. When we weren't out fighting, we had nothing better to do.

In his free time, Cole always writes letters to his dead mother and other loved ones because he is an emotionally strong man and writes those letters to get out things that he had never had the chance to say. Even though pretty much everyone he knows is dead and gone, he still keeps going. He has this unbelievable ability to make us all feel like everything is OK. He goes out of his way to be cheery and enthusiastic to keep us all from breaking down. I have to admit that his attitude does help us all feel less shitty than we normally do. In some ways, he does help counter Baird's incredibly pessimistic, annoying personality.

Baird, on the other hand, sometimes chooses to work on fixing something that doesn't need to be fixed or cleaning his boots even though they are already squeaky clean. Sometimes I think Baird has some sort of OCD, but then again, he's just the type of person that has to be doing something whether it's useful or not. I guess it helps keep his mind preoccupied from thinking about unwanted things. Me and the other guys keep trying to tell ourselves that Baird is human, but sometimes it's hard to believe that with his snotty ass attitude.

"I'm tired of your mouth, Fenix," Baird snarls and tosses his cards on the table dismissively.

The pain is more of a sore pain right now, which is easy to bear. Normally, I would just ignore Baird or tell him to shut the hell up, but instead I say, "That's not what you said last night, Baird."

Cole roars his laughter and smacks his cards on the table. He leans back in his chair, clutching his sides and laughing with glee.

Baird shuts up and stands up quickly, his chair tipping over. He storms out of the room muttering something about stupid assholes.

I smirk in self-satisfaction and actually feel better knowing that I had gotten under his skin yet _again_. I'm usually Baird's favorite target to launch insults at, but lately he hasn't been doing so well in that department. Hell, I'd rather be a stupid asshole any day instead of a annoying ass bitch.

Cole's laughter eventually dies down and he wipes the tears from his eyes. There's a few more chuckles before he composes himself completely. He sighs, but it's not an unhappy sigh.

I had laughed some myself, but nothing near as powerful as Cole's booming laughter. Sometimes it helped to distract from the bland and irritating things of the day. It almost makes me forget that the world is shit right now.

As if sensing my swiftly approaching somber mood, Cole turns and looks at me. He's serious now, well, as serious as Cole can be. Another thing about Cole is he's very insightful and a good judge of character. He sees the good in all people and that's probably why he gets along with everyone. Especially with Baird.

"You know Damon _likes_ you, right?"

I turn and squint at him, wondering what he's playing at. I ask in a low, _you better not be fucking with me _tone of voice, "Come again?"

"Baird likes you, baby. Why do you think he messes with you all the time?"

"Because he's annoying and likes to bother the hell out of me?"

Cole laughs. "Well that much is true, baby."

I don't know what he's talking about, though. Baird always acts like he hates my guts. Not that I particularly care or anything. I'm just surprised I haven't been shot in my sleep, yet.

"Baird is a bitter bastard and doesn't get along well with most, but I know him well enough to know what he likes and dislikes. Baby, you better keep you and Dom's _thing_ on the down low, if you know what I mean. Cos' Baird will snap if he knows 'bout that," Cole says in a quiet voice as if he's afraid someone might overhear.

"You..._know_?" I blink in surprise. That explains all those damn _knowing_ looks Cole always has on his face.

"I've known for years, baby. I knew you two liked each other since I first met ya'll. It's obvious to me, but no one else seems to see it. Don't think I don't notice how Dom is always lookin' at you like your his damn wife or somethin'," Cole explains, but then as if to make sure I know that he has nothing against it, he adds, "I'm cool wit it, baby."

"Thanks...I guess," I mutter and look away.

"Aw, it'll be aight, Marcus baby. You'll see. Dom's a good man and so are you. You both deserve to be happy, so take it while you still can," Cole says, a hint of wisdom echoing in his words. He pats me on the shoulder and then walks out of the room.

He's right, though. If I had learned anything from losing Carlos, I had learned that no one lives forever and that sometimes we lose people way before their time. There's no telling how long I have left with Dom.

Before Carlos had died, he had asked me to promise him that I'd take care of Dom. It's something me and Carlos had always done, but with him gone, there was just me to make sure Dom pulled through the worst shit all right and intact. I made that promise to always take care of Dom. And dammit, that's what I'm going to do.

* * *

_**TBC...**_


	10. CH09Touch

**"Points of Authority"**

By: _God of Insanity_

Pairing(s): Marcus/Dom, Dom/Marcus, and Possibly Other pairings apply

Summary: Set loosely after Jacinto sinks. Post Gears of War2. Set before GOW3.

Warning(s): M/M YAOI, LEMONS, SPOILERS, Blood, horror, Oral, Maledom, D/s, Character Death, and other warnings apply.

_**A/N: For all those who leave reviews while being logged in, I always reply, so be sure to check your inbox. Thank you for reading and for your reviews, whether they're logged in reviews or not. Either way, I appreciate the feedback. **_

_Disclaimer(s):_ _I do not own Gears of War. This is fanfiction. Notice the fan in front of fiction. I merely own my own ideas and the effort I put into these fan fictions. I make no profit whatsoever._

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"'Don't forget, Dom's my friend.' It was _friend_, not _buddy_. The way he said it made it clear there was only one of those, and that no replacements would be considered."-[_**Gears of War: Aspho Fields**_]

* * *

CH-09-_Touch_

It's about a total week, give or take, before I get so unbearably restless that I start walking around on my own. Of course, they try to stop me, but I don't listen. They are lucky that I even stayed down for an entire week.

I'm still sore in some places, like my leg and ribs, but it's bearable and doesn't hurt that much when I move. I can ignore it and that's exactly what I do.

During the rest of the time that I was at _bed rest_, Dom didn't say much to me or make another move. He wasn't in a bitter mood or anything. I figure it's because he just didn't want to risk causing me more pain again or worse. He's not that hard of a person to figure out so I pretty much can tell whatever is on his mind.

I was standing outside alone when I received a call on the Comm link.

"_Delta_?" Comes Anya's familiar voice. I haven't heard from her in awhile.

"Yeah, Control, this is Delta."

"_How are you doing, Marcus_?"

"Just peachy. Now tell me what's up," I grumble. I know full well that they get pissy if the radio is used for _personal_ reasons. Not that I blame 'em, of course.

"_Still no locust activity. There hasn't been any incidents since last week..."_

"How convenient..." I want to ask if she thinks they're gone or not. But something in my gut says they're still around. I have a very bad feeling about the Locust. We've done so much to wipe them out. The Lightmass bomb, killing the Riftworm, and flooding their tunnels...didn't stop nor kill them all. I just know the Queen is somewhere lurking around and waiting patiently. Stupid bitch.

"_I know what you're going to ask. Command directly told me that they want you to sit tight for now. Command will contact you soon and you'll get your orders."_

"Got it. Delta out," I mutter and I nearly jump out of my skin when I notice that Isaac is standing beside me. He looks amused when he realizes he has startled me.

"I'm surprised your _wife_ isn't out here fretting," Isaac says and casts me a sideways glance.

"I told him if he hovers around me all the time that we're going to get a divorce," I reply in my brand of Marcus humor. My squad knows it so well and sometimes they get frustrated with it. Oh well.

"I know I probably asked this before, but do you think the Locust are really gone? I know there's still some left..." Isaac asks in a calm voice as if he is talking about the weather.

"I don't know. What do you think?"

"I think this is the calm before the storm. I don't think this is anywhere near over. They're probably immobilizing their forces as we speak. They'll strike when they're ready. Whenever that is..."

I look at him and study his face, but I can't tell whether he's happy, sad, mad or whatever else about what he just said. "You think?"

"I _feel_ it. All the civvies seem to think that the Locust are gone, but I know better. Just because they're not popping out of the ground a lot doesn't mean that they're anywhere near close to being extinct. We have to remember that they're not stupid. And we haven't been everywhere underground, so we don't know where they're all hiding. There's so many tunnels and caves...it's hard to know for certain whether or not they're all gone. But like I said, I feel as if there's a storm churning. I feel as if they want us to think that they're gone. They're waiting for _something_..."

Like Baird, Isaac is usually right about whatever he states. It's annoying that Baird is always right, but when Isaac is right, it's more of an awe inspired feeling. In this case, it is a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Deep inside we're all hoping that the Locust are _finally_ defeated, but just like Isaac, I also feel as if we're on the verge of something horrendous. I believe that he's right. I think something bad _will_ happen sooner or later.

Isaac glances at me and inquires quietly, "what do you think?"

"I'm pretty much thinking the same damn thing..."

He sighs as if he had been hoping that I was thinking the opposite of him. He looks towards the horizon as if it is the last time he'll ever see it. "I was afraid you'd say that."

"You want me to lie to you?"

Isaac laughs and shakes his head, "No, I much prefer the truth no matter how much it burdens the soul."

Something about that statement reminds me of something I had once heard him say. Before I could stop myself, I found myself quoting it aloud, _"I would rather rot in prison for doing the right thing than walk free for doing the wrong thing."_

Isaac looks at me as if that quote sounded familiar to him, but as if he couldn't quite place who said it and when. "Who said _that_?"

"_You_."

"When did I say that?"

"A few years ago, give or take. Someone asked you _why_ you had been thrown into the slab, and that was what you said to them. And it was all you would say about it."

"Oh...well, now that you mention it, it does clear up the fog a bit."

Before I can comment on that, there's the sound of an engine and we both look to see a vehicle pulling up to us. From what I can see, there's four people in the car. I instantly recognize the woman in the back seat. She's the oldest amongst them, maybe around Hoffman's age.

As soon as the vehicle stops, the engine is shut off and four people crawl out. Two are young men who look around the age of 18-25 and the other two are women. One of the women looks to be around the age of 25-35 while the woman I recognize looks a bit older, maybe in her 50's or dare I say, 60's.

It's Bernadette Mataki a.k.a. _Bernie_.

Bernie looks to me and smiles a bit. "Marcus, good to see your arse again, you wanker."

I nod to her. "It's been awhile."

The other woman looks in fit, tip top shape. She's tall, around 5'11" and is muscular. She's no where near as bulky as any of us, but she has a strong physique and looks like she can dish out some serious damage if given the chance to. She has short red hair, some of which is in her eyes, which she blows out of her face. She has pale skin and big, startling green-grey eyes that look as if said eyes could stare down anyone. Something about her is very familiar, but I can't put a finger on it.

"SGT Fenix, right? A pleasure to finally meet you," Said red-haired woman spoke and she thrust her hand over to me the way a man would when introducing himself.

"And you are...?" I ask slowly and almost hesitantly take her hand and shake it. I'm surprised by how strong her grip is and I can feel the power in her arm.

"Major Eve Savage," She says quickly as if it doesn't really matter. She has a low voice which makes it harder to tell if she's male or female. She's an androgynous one, all right. The best way I can describe her is that she's a mix of masculinity and femininity and somehow it works for her.

Something is definitely very familiar, but I choose to shake it off for now. Business always comes first...well, most of the time, anyway. "What brings you out here, Major?"

"Blah, call me Eve. Rank isn't important anymore," Eve mutters and glances towards Isaac. A look of recognition lights in her ocean colored eyes. "Isaac, what you doing hiding behind Marcus? Get over here..."

Before Isaac can even think to muster up a reply, Eve pounces on him in a flash. She is damn fast and has him in what I'd call a bear hug. It's reminiscent of the kind of hugs Cole gives.

I can tell that they're good friends. They're close, but there isn't anything sexual there. Reminds me of the way Carlos and I had been before...well...

"What the hell? Granny, is that you?" Nearly shrieks Baird, who had wandered outside with Cole to possibly spy on me from sheer boredom or because Dom had bribed them to.

"Oi, blondie! Long time no see, you little twit!" Bernie greets back and in spite of her general dislike for Baird, she seems a bit content to see him. She looks much happier to see Cole, though.

"Boomer lady!" Cole greets and runs over to hug her in one of his bear hugs. Even though he's big as hell, he's careful with her. He knows that she's older and he knows that he's bigger.

Baird stands off to the side, arms crossed with his ever present sneer on his face as he watches everyone. He looks less than thrilled to see Bernie. With the way he always acts towards women, I'm under the impression that he hates them.

Eve, while standing beside Isaac, glances at everyone until her gaze settles on Baird. She has a WTF look on her face as if she doesn't know what the hell she is looking at. She looks to me and Isaac and inquires, "What's wrong with him?"

Isaac shrugs, "Maybe he's just retarded...no, that's a mean way of saying it. How about...mentally challenged?"

I shrug too and mutter, "Who knows..."

"Well, whatever he is, he looks like fun," Eve comments and crosses her arms, almost imitating Baird's stance.

Bernie overhears Eve and snorts. "You're going to change your mind once you get to know _that one_. I bet you're going to want to punch his lights out soon enough."

"Oh? Well if the blond brat acts up I'll just spank him some then," Eve says as if Baird is actually 5-years-old or something. Something tells me to bet my money on this one.

Cole laughs and says, "I'll pay to see that, Ma'am. Boomer Lady here already decked Damon baby before..."

Bernie smiles as if remembering good times. "Aye, that I did..."

I sigh to myself and walk away back to the room that I'm currently sharing with Dom. I'm not in the mood for any of this shit and if it's something important they'll either come get me or call me.

As much as I like Bernie, seeing her always reminds me of tha t day. I still consider it the worst day of my life and her being present doesn't help me forget, if even for a moment. Whether it's seeing Dom's face or Bernie, I'm _always_ reminded of my dead best friend.

* * *

When I walk into the room, I instantly notice that Dom is lying on his side on his bed. His back is facing the door so I can't see if he's awake or not.

As I walk quietly by him, an urge suddenly overcomes me, which ultimately causes me to smack his ass on my way to my bed. The sound is loud and it reverberates throughout the small room and I'm filled with some smug satisfaction.

Dom isn't as amused as I am, though. He instantly sits up and it's clear by the angry, befuddled look on his face that he had been sleeping. "Dammit, Marcus, I was sleeping!"

"Is that a fact? Maybe next time you won't expose your ass like that," I snicker and sit on the edge of my bed and stare at him in self-satisfaction. Well, he does have a nice ass...but that's not something I'll ever admit.

He sits up and glares at me with his dark, sleep deprived eyes. "Why are you being an ass today?"

"Maybe because I have one?" I offer back and stare modestly at him as if I hadn't just been a sarcastic ass.

Dom opens his mouth to say something, but almost immediately shuts it. He looks frustrated in so many ways and instead of voicing his issues, he just lays back down and proceeds to ignore me.

_Oh, no you don't, Dom. _

I get up and walk over to his bed and sit down on the edge. I slap his ass, but not as hard as the last time. He opens his eyes and glares at me again. I squeeze his ass in my own way of apologizing.

"_Marcus_," Dom hisses and sits up to fix me with a level glare.

"Yeah?"

"Don't do that..."

"Do what? _This_?" I ask and squeeze his ass again.

Dom growls and grabs my hand, "Marcus..."

"Oh, I'm sorry...I must have been touching the wrong thing," I say in mock apology and then slip my other hand between his legs to rub and squeeze his manhood. It seems all the ass slapping and squeezing has got him turned on a bit from what I can see and feel.

He sucks in his breath and shudders as a result of me touching him. I can tell that he's trying to control himself.

Smirking a bit to myself, I lean over and kiss him on his neck and then squeeze his groin one last time before I stand up and stride smoothly out of the room.

I walk outside until I reach everyone else and I can tell by the skulking Baird is doing and the smirking Eve is doing that someone had happened in my absence. Something to piss Baird off and make everyone else laugh their asses off.

I'm about to ask what happened when I feel a strong hand grab me by the forearm. I turn and look at Dom who looks both frustrated and furious. He doesn't look at me. Instead, he glowers at everyone else and barks, "Marcus needs to rest now so stay the fuck out of the room! If any of you even come close to the door I'm going to shoot you myself! Got it?"

The looks on everyone's faces is priceless and they're all too stupefied to say anything back so they just nod slowly. I'm not surprised by that because Dom is always nice and friendly to everyone so it's pretty much a shock when his domineering, angry side is shown.

Dom tightens his grip on my arm and jerks me with him like I'm his disobedient child that's about to be punished. He walks fast, but stiffly. He's strong, but so am I. One thing I know is to never fuck with him when he's in this mood. It's best just to go with it even if it kills me.

* * *

_**WARNING**__**:**_ **HOT MAN ON MAN GEARS STYLE SEX! (THIS MEANS GAY AS IN HOMOSEXUAL!) DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS SORT OF THING OR IF YOU ARE UNDERAGE!**

**You have been warned. Proceed with caution...**

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It doesn't take long for Dom to drag me into the room. He locks the door behind us and shoves me face first onto his bed.

Before I can say or do anything, he grabs me by the hips and jerks me back so that I'm half laying on the bed while my feet are planted on the ground. He reaches around me and quickly unbuckles my belt and forces my pants down to my knees.

I hear the sound of a belt being unbuckled and it's at that moment that it dawns on me about _what_ is about to happen.

To a passerby, this would look like a rape that was about to transpire, but it's far from that. And it's because no one, in or out of prison, has been able to force themselves on my unwilling person and that's not about to change anytime soon. If I want it to happen, it will happen. If I don't, it won't. It's as simple as that.

I'm shocked and pretty much frozen on the spot. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't painfully turned on by this and by the fact that I'm being manhandled by Dom in this way.

Nothing is said or needs to be said. Everything just happens in a blur.

First I'm dragged into the room, then forcibly thrown on the bed, then half undressed...

And then I feel him force my legs apart and grab my hips in an iron grip. I feel his hot skin press against mine and then he pushes his dick into my ass hard and fast without any preparation. I grip the sheets, hissing through my teeth. It feels so damn good that I barely notice the pain. I push back against him and he slides the rest of himself inside until every has disappeared from view.

Dom pauses for a few moments so we both can adjust. He's bent over and panting lightly against the back of my neck. It takes me every ounce of my will power not to lose it right there. This is going to be fast and hard, but I can tell he has to focus himself so he doesn't lose it right away, too.

I shudder when I feel him pull almost all the way out and then slam back inside, filling me up again. My fingers curl and dig into the sheets as he repeatedly plunders my body. I can't help but rock back against him, moving with him as he rams his cock harder and faster into my abused, yet willing hole.

Nothing is said, but there are the noises of the bed creaking and rocking, the sound of flesh slapping flesh, and of course the sounds of our combined grunts of pleasure and exertion.

This is our first time together. There is no damn way that it would be sweet, slow, or gentle. I know now that we've both been desperately wanting it for so long and fuck, I know Dom hasn't gotten any since his wife disappeared over ten years ago. Not only do I know it, but I can _feel_ it.

"Fuck, Marcus..." Dom groans as he unlatches one of his hands from my hips. He curls his fingers over my hand while still gripping my left hip with his left hand.

If I hadn't been getting vigorously fucked into his bed, I probably would have found that endearing. Yet somehow his words, as vulgar and few as they are, voice my thoughts exactly.

I know he's getting close because he rocks even harder and faster into me while his blunt nails bite harder into the flesh of my hip. I arch my back as much as I can and push back hard, rolling against him in a way that is a sure way to drive him crazier.

And it works.

One of Dom's last few jerky thrusts hits my prostate hard and I release my seed between my stomach and the bed. The muscles of my ass clenches hard around him as if trying to milk him. I then hear him groan loudly, which I note as his orgasm voice because damn, it sounds damn sexy and if I hadn't come already then just hearing how he sounds when he orgasms would have undone me at that moment.

Dom collapses against me, but his weight doesn't bother me. He's heavy like I am, but something about a heavy, hard body has a different sort of satisfaction than it does a small, soft body.

I don't know how many minutes pass, or if it's hours, but all I know is that some time has passed us by as we lay panting in the aftermath of our coupling.

I barely notice it when Dom shifts his body and pulls out of me almost slowly as if afraid to hurt me. It's kinda funny how he's being careful _now_.

My eyes are closed and my breathing is more even now. I don't move, but I feel him pull me completely on the bed. He lays there on his side and pulls me into his arms so that I'm actually facing him this time. Oh, gee, you fuck a guy and now you wanna hold him?

Oh, no, Dom is a _cuddler_.

Something about that doesn't surprise me nor does it bother me. It's the way he is and as always, I'll accept him no matter what. Even if it annoys me...

"Marcus..."

I open my eyes upon hearing my name and I look at him.

Dom is _smiling_.

He's smiling the way he used to when we were kids. He's smiling the way he used to when it was just me, him, and Carlos.

* * *

**TBC...**

_**A/N: I think I remember someone saying something about wanting more...**_action_**...?**_


	11. CH10Hear

**"Points of Authority"**

By: _God of Insanity_

Pairing(s): Marcus/Dom, Dom/Marcus, and Possibly Other pairings apply

Summary: Set loosely after Jacinto sinks. Post Gears of War2. Set before GOW3.

Warning(s): M/M YAOI, LEMONS, SPOILERS, Blood, horror, Oral, Maledom, D/s, Character Death, and other warnings apply.

_**A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Hope everyone had a decent Holiday and thanks for the reviews. Hopefully the plot will go the way I want it to. Sometimes it mutates on its own.**_

**ISAAC CLARKE****: Originally Isaac Clarke was created for a gears RP that I have with some friends. A friend wanted her Baird to have a bf and I created someone young, intelligent, and I made them an engineer because I knew that would be a sore spot for Baird. If you do know, Baird has always loved to make things and has always wanted to be an engineer...so having some young guy who GOT to be an engineer would make Baird even bitterer than he already is. See the logic? I made him someone that would get underneath Baird's skin just like Marcus does. It's like adding fuel to the fire. ;D**

**Anywho, I decided to name him after the engineer in Dead Space (which is really a remarkable game and one of my favorites) but that's where the similarities end. I was actually curious to know if anyone recognized the name Isaac Clarke, and I even spelled Clarke the same way to see if they would...**

**I must say though, that what I first intended for Isaac didn't happen. He became better than I thought he would be, and he went in a different direction. The funny thing is that my Isaac Clarke is in RP and in this story...yet he seems to be different in both. He's more of an ass in the RP, I guess, and in the story it seems like he wants to help Marcus. The thing about my stories, poems, roleplays, characters, artwork is that I start it off in a specific path but it does a U-TURN and goes somewhere else. And most of the time I don't mind that. **

_Disclaimer(s):_ _I do not own Gears of War. This is fanfiction. Notice the fan in front of fiction. I merely own my own ideas and the effort I put into these fan fictions. I make no profit whatsoever._

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"_A trip to Toxin Town. We get all the perks._"-Marcus Fenix[_**Gears of War: Jacinto's Remnant**_]

* * *

CH-10-_Hear_

I didn't even realize I had passed out until I feel someone shaking my shoulder. I hear incoherent words that I can tell are directed at me since out of all those words I do hear my name come up a few times. I don't know what exactly was said though because I'm still pretty much half-asleep.

I eventually blink open my eyes and sit up. I immediately regret that action because a sharp, sore pain shoots up my spine. It's something I've felt before, time and time again, so it doesn't bother me much. I'm the kinda guy that if I get drunk and then suffer a hangover the next day...well, I don't bitch about it. In other words, I take it like a man and don't complain. Just because I can take it up the ass doesn't mean I'm a bitch.

"You ok, Marcus?"Asks Dom in his normal, overly concerned tone of voice. _Haha..._

I turn my head slowly and peer at Dom. He's sitting beside me and he's dressed completely. Also looks like he has already taken a shower, too.

"Yeah, I'm fine..."

"I cleaned you up while you were asleep," Dom says as if I might have a problem with it. Sometimes it seems like he doesn't know me as well as he should. Then again, I have changed some since prison and he's changed some because of his wife so we've been re-learning each other.

No wonder I don't feel sticky or uncomfortable besides that familiar, if not pleasant soreness. I nod my thanks to him. I don't feel too much like talking right now. I'd rather wake up first because I'd rather not say anything stupid...

"So what does _this_ mean?" Dom asks tentatively as if he's afraid to know the real answer. I bet he would love to get inside my mind and see how I operate and see everything that I see, feel, and hear. Sad thing is I don't even want to be in my own mind.

Like his brother, Dom's had to guess what I'm thinking and feeling. I know I've never been a very open person and I know I'm probably worse than I used to be. I know he thinks I've changed since after getting out of the slab and especially since after his brother's death. I guess I have, however, I don't know for sure since perspectives are always different. But I do know that no one looks at me the same way that they used to.

Change is change. Most of the time, it usually happens slowly over time and it creeps up on us and we don't even notice it. Most only ever realize there has been a change when they haven't seen someone in a year or more.

The other time, change happens quick like a flash. Usually what triggers this is some traumatic event of some kind. In most cases, it's always death that changes everything. I remember once hearing something from some TV show that stuck with me. It was: _"Almost dying changes nothing. Dying changes everything." _**(1)**

I've seen a lot of death. I've seen a lot of almost deaths. And from my own view point, I can say that it's true. You get shaken about your near death experience for what, a day, a week, maybe a month...but after that you go back to how you were. But when someone dies, or you die, _everything_ is different. It doesn't go away. It's a permanent absence that changes not only your own existence, but changes the feelings in the people around you.

In some cases...it _breaks_ people. I've seen it happen and that's why after Maria died, I stuck to Dom even closer than before. Gave him what I could, but I knew then and I know now that nothing I can do will take away his pain completely. It'll always be there, lurking and taunting him like a fucking ghost.

And the only reason I know this is because we've _all_ personally lost someone.

But getting back to Dom...I'm not sure what to say to him, so I just stare at him and silently contemplate what I should say. Can I promise him something that I can't keep? I can't do that, not to him.

Most of the time we usually understand one another and don't have to say anything. But there are still things left unspoken, still things hanging around unknown. He probably feels it, too.

After a few minutes, he looks frustrated and is about to leave, but I grab him by the arm and pull him back down so that he's sitting by me again.

"It means that you're my bitch now," I answer slowly, part jokingly and part seriously.

"I wasn't the bitch last night. _You_ were," Dom retorts and a grin tugs at the corners of his lips.

"Point taken...but next time your ass is _mine_. You better prepare yourself because I ain't gonna be gentle with you, Dom."

Dom nods and isn't the least bit put off by that. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Marcus."

* * *

"Did His Royal Highness sleep well?" Baird baits as soon as I walk into the cafeteria.

Everyone is still on their toes because of Dom. Even Baird avoids insulting him or bothering him in any way. But then again, after Dom lost Maria, Baird has been acting more like a considerate human being to him. _Shocking_.

I have no appetite today, but Dom goes out of his way to drag me to get something to eat anyway.

"..." I ignore Baird like I usually do. I just walk over to one of the tables and sit down next to Isaac. I'm walking kinda funny, but fortunately since my leg is still in the healing process, my gait hasn't changed much at all. So no one notices.

I glance to my right and I notice Isaac is smiling knowingly at me. _Damn him. _

I look away and decide to try and focus on eating my ration. It's pretty much tasteless to me now, but it gives me energy and calories to burn. Sometimes I do miss the old days when we had actual food. Still, what us gears get is better what the civvies get. So who am I to complain?

"So where did the ginger dyke go?" Baird asks in general since he hates silence.

"Right here, Goldilocks," murmurs a low, quiet voice. Then I hear a loud resounding smack and I glance towards Baird. Eve had been right behind him when he had inquired about her presence.

Yay...Baird abuse...

"Damn, you know that hurt, _bitch_..." Baird growls as he rubs the back of his head.

"No shit? I was just trying to make you feel real good, _cupcake_," Eve retorts as she crosses her arms over her chest. Apparently being called a bitch doesn't bother her at all. She is a Major but acts like me in the way that she doesn't think anyone is beneath her. Rank doesn't matter anymore, but we still follow and obey the chain of command. The simple fact is that her attitude implies that she is just another one of the guys, another Gear.

"You're a weird woman, you know that?" Baird grumbles while openly glaring at her.

"And you're an odd, sad little boy," Eve replies as she glances over to me and Isaac as if she has suddenly become aware of our presence.

Baird crosses his arms as if mimicking her in his own way to prove that he can do everything better than her. "I don't like you."

"Well, let me just get the razor blade out and cut myself. I don't think I can live with you not liking me," Eve replies smoothly in a joking manner that tells him and everyone else that he isn't getting to her.

That's the thing with Baird. He likes to punch people and see how they react to him. I think that's how he gets off. Likes to piss people off and see 'em foam at the mouth like a rabid dog.

"Oh yeah? How about I just save you the trouble by shooting you? Nah forget that. I ain't gonna waste my ammo on _you_..." Baird sneers.

"I'm touched," Eve retorts sarcastically and sits down on the other side of Isaac. She ignores Baird and bites into a ration bar, completely tuning him out.

Baird fumes from where he stands and I can tell he's not taking too kindly to being brushed off and ignored.

"Isn't this nice?" Isaac comments while he eats, side glancing at me with mirth.

"Yeah, just peachy. Who needs TV when we have a boxing match right here," I grumble quietly.

It was at that moment when someone's piece of bread fumbles to the ground.

For a moment, that reminds me of the normal days before E-day. It reminds me of the Thrashball games with the beer, the bets, and the buddies. It reminds me of normal, civil days when all we had to worry about was other countries thinking about being stupid with their itchy trigger fingers.

"Marcus dropped the bread!" Cole jokes in his own way of trying to get Baird to back off of Eve. Oh yeah, The Marcus Diversion Maneuver always works with it comes to Damon Baird.

I can tell Cole's already taking a liking to Eve and probably doesn't want her to get hurt. Or better yet, he probably doesn't want to see his best friend get his face smashed in.

Isaac shakes his head in disagreement and says, "Naw, Cole...the only thing Marcus knows how to drop is _soap_." **(2)**

It's silent for only a moment and then Cole along with some other gears roars with laughter at that. Baird raises an eyebrow at that and isn't much amused, which is actually somewhat shocking. Normally he would love laughing at my expense, but not today, it seems.

I just shake my head and I don't say anything.

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Dom staring at me with a look of concern. And hunger. He wants to know so _bad_. I know. I know he wants to know what I've been through in the slab. He wants to know everything. I know that all too well. I may not say much or tell him my…eh, _feelings_, but I ain't stupid or blind.

He's pretty good at not pushing me most of the time, but like every man and woman, patience wears thin and eventually runs out. Yet when he does push, he only pushes hard enough to get an answer and he knows when to back away.

Right now I can tell that Dom's patience is as fragile as cracked glass. I can see by the way he grinds his jaw ever so subtly and by the way he clenches his fists under the table that he's both frustrated and angry. He may be physically sated by what we've done earlier, but he's in no way emotionally satisfied.

The war may be pretty much over, but the war inside of Dom is still raging hard.

I don't know if I can give him what he wants, what he needs.

I'm not like him. I don't broadcast my feelings and cheer with enthusiasm whether it's real or not. I just grit my teeth and bear it silently.

I hear a cough and I glance at Isaac, who's face looks like he could win any poker game. He taps the table a few times in different patterns with the tips of his index and middle finger glued together.

It's a code. Kinda like Morse code, but not completely like it. Back in the prison, we were all often thrown in our cells for long periods of time without social contact with anyone. So whenever he had the chance, Isaac slowly taught me how to communicate with my fingers. It was easier to hear tapping on the metal walls than the sound of muffled voices. Most of the guards assumed all the tapping and the banging(yes, we had some loonies in there) was because of the inmates. Hell, if you're stuck in a tiny, dirty, and dark little room without contact and light, well...you'd make a bunch of noise, too.

It was the Navajo code. He taught it to me by speaking it and by using his fingers. It was his mother's people's dead language. **(3)**

He was shocked at how quickly I grasped and learned it. That code was exceedingly difficult to learn and was next to impossible to crack.

Sometimes I think the only reason I had told Isaac anything at all was because I hadn't actually been speaking with my mouth. Talking with your mouth and talking with your hands are different, believe me.

_You didn't tell him._

No one seems to notice what we're doing since everyone is too busy chattering away and laughing, or just too damn tired to give a damn.

_**What gave it away?**_

Dom doesn't seem to notice, either. He's too fixated in his mind, I guess. His eyes are fixed on something, but there's that faraway look in his eyes.

_I can tell. His spirit is still in turmoil, Marcus._

I don't like where this is going and I find myself wishing some stray locust would come out of the woodwork to interrupt this...little _chat_.

_**What do you want me to say?**_

_I don't want you to say anything. Dom's the one who wants you to say something. It's obvious by his body language._

_**I don't even know where to start.**_

Isaac leans back and stretches his arms over his head. He then sticks his hands under the table and taps underneath. _Start with the Truth. Your dad. Anya. Carlos. Prison. Dom. Maria. _

_**Oh and what exactly am I supposed to tell him?**_

_Everything. He desperately wants to know these things. It's not fair that you always make him fill in the gaps. I can tell everyone that knows you has had to do that…and still continues to do that._

_**I don't know if I can.**_

_Bullshit. You told me. If you can talk to me, you can talk to him. So do it._

Because of Isaac's sage, empathic words and experienced maturity, I always seem to forget that he's still just a damn kid.

_**He'll hate her. He'll hate himself. **_I tell him that with the code, but in my mind, I add, _'He'll hate me, too.'_

And that's when I realize it. I'm afraid that if he knows any of what I'm hiding than he'll walk away, or worse, hurt himself. Kinda like how Mataki and I kept the truth about his brother's death away from him for years. I always protected him, but now I realize that it's not just for his protection alone. It's much more than that. It's fuckin' complicated.

_Hate is such a flimsy word. Everyone uses that word so loosely, so carelessly. Hate is empty, devoid of feeling. It's because of you that your...friend there, Dom, hasn't lost himself to his hatred of the Locust. He's alive and hanging on because of you. He couldn't hate you even if you deserted him right now. He doesn't have it in him to hate you, Marcus. Yeah, he can be pissed at you and want to punch you till next Thursday, but he's never going to hate you._

_**I can't do it.**_

If I said those four little words to any of my...hero-worshipers, they wouldn't believe me. Apparently Marcus Fenix can do _anything_.

_It's just the past, Marcus. That's all it is. It's behind us. It happened. It's done._

_**It doesn't go away. It's like the fucking Locust. It keeps coming back for more until you can't take it anymore.**_

_Some of us do nothing but live in the past. Some of us do nothing but look to the future. Neither is an answer. Neither is the right choice. It's just a distraction that we need not focus on. What we need to keep in our minds is not the past nor the future, but the present itself._

_**Speak Tyran, man.** _**(4)**

_You see people who live in the past. You see others that live for nothing more than the future. But do you see anyone living for the present? If anything, this war has taught us to live in the here and now. The past is the road, the car is the future, and the person in the car is the present. If there is no person to drive the car, there is no road to leave behind, and no car to drive forward. In other words, without the present, there can be no past made, and there can be no tomorrow to look forward to._

I somehow get the image of Tai Kaliso in my mind. If he had heard that mystic shit that Isaac has just communicated to me, I bet he would be smiling.

_**So let me get this straight…you're saying that we should live in the present and forget everything else?**_

_You got the first part right. The past and future shouldn't be forgotten or ignored. It's funny how most people tend to overlook how important it is to live in the present. What we have today we might not have tomorrow. And just think about it, there may be no tomorrow._

_**You know, your mystic shit creeps me out more than Tai's ever did.**_

_It's not easy to swallow, but it makes sense, doesn't it?_

I stare straight ahead at nothing in particular.

_**Yeah...yeah, I guess it does.**_

_So you going to talk to him or not? Don't make me have a Marcus Needs to Express Himself to Dom Intervention._

I want to laugh at that, but I don't.

_**Yeah, I'll talk to him. But only when I'm ready. So quit trying to push me. I hit back, you know.**_

_Sounds good to me, but remember Marcus...Dom isn't always going to be around nor you, for the matter. Don't take him for granted. What you have now may be gone tomorrow._

And with those last annoyingly wise words, Isaac stands up and walks away with a few of his men, leaving me to sit there and brood for the rest of the damn day.

* * *

The next couple of days pass with little to no incident. No Locust activity and no brawls among the men (and women).

Surprisingly even Baird behaves. He keeps quiet and just goes around repairing whatever he believes needs to be fixed or altered. Much to his chagrin, Isaac is usually around the corner watching him like he's Baird's foreman. He doesn't say much most of the time. Just stands there watching Baird work. No compliments…no insults.

I can also tell by the veins popping out and the way Baird works that he's frustrated and bothered by having someone like Isaac watching him with a critical eye. Sometimes Baird turns and opens his mouth to say something, but Isaac merely raises an eyebrow and Baird then shuts his mouth and turns away.

Baird is a very verbal person so that if someone ignores him or is silent it bothers the hell out of him.

I don't normally keep my eye on those two, but when I walk by, I sometimes stop and stare at their little…_interactions_. Yeah, we'll call it that.

That and Isaac usually tells me later everything that transpires in the day. He's pretty good at keeping me and others up to date on everything that goes on.

On the other hand, Cole does his part by boosting the morale of the men. They're a hopeless lot like most of our remaining army. Most of them young, some old, and a few middle-aged. A few women here and there. Some who would rather fight than live their lives as breeding stock. And of course some that just can't procreate. But they're of the COG so they do their part in whatever way they can. That's the attitude of not only the gears, but of the COG civilians as well.

Dom is usually off by himself in his own version of thoughtful silence whether he's sitting outside or walking. He smiles whenever he sees me, but doesn't say much. It's almost as if he's waiting for something. Don't know what, though.

Even though Dom seems to be doing better these days, we all still keep an eye on him. He's been doing better and I'm sure Baird is thinking that Dom's slowly losing it. Cole knows why Dom's attitude is lighter, less depressed, but then again, Cole isn't going to say anything.

As long as Dom is stable and happy, I don't think anyone will care why.

* * *

Dom is acting odd today. He's smiling more, but in an enigmatic way as if he knows something he's not telling.

There's a few of us in the MESS hall sitting at the table. Dom is sitting next to me and Cole and Baird are sitting across from us. Nobody else is around and it's probably because it's so fucking early in the morning.

"I'm going to blow that asshole away and that firecrotch, too. Hell, even granny is pushing it with me lately," Baird gripes as we eat.

Cole laughs and replies, "Damon baby, you need to ease up some. They're just playing wit you. If you're in deep ass water, don't cut yourself when sharks are around."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Baird glances at Cole in a not too flattering way. Sometimes I wonder how Cole can put up with his shit.

"Baird, baby, you need to cool your head. They like messing wit you and if you keep hissing like a pissed off cat they going to keep having a go at you. Especially Boomer lady and we know how much she likes the kitties," explains Cole and he's naturally unfazed by Baird's grouchy mood.

I don't pay much attention to Baird's complaining or Cole's playful gibes. I just usually pay enough attention to know what's going on around me.

"There's no way in hell I'm going to lay there and take it like a bitch," Baird retorts almost scathingly.

Dom snickers but doesn't comment. If he were less of a person he would have added me to that…conversation, especially at this point.

"That ain't something I ever want to picture, baby," Cole jokes lightly with him.

It's at that point when I feel a hand rest itself on my thigh. I glance at Dom out of the corner of my eye and see that he's not even looking at me. He's just sitting there looking at the food that he's eating. But damn there's a little smirk on his face.

I ignore his hand and continue to poke around at the food that I suddenly don't feel like eating.

Baird almost rolls his eyes and says, "You're hilarious, Cole, you know that?"

"Someone's gotta keep your pants on, Baird baby," Cole teases with mirth. If I were any other person, the image of Baird naked would bother me. We've all seen each other naked since most of the time the showers aren't separated and I've showered so many times with them all and with inmates that it doesn't even faze me.

"I have a belt for that, thanks," Baird replies dryly.

I feel the fingers of that hand curl around my thigh slowly and my body stiffens. That damn hand then runs down to my knee and slowly drags itself up my thigh. It slides over to my inner thigh as it makes its ascent. The muscles in my leg jump at his touch and I would be lying if I said this wasn't turning me on.

And of course he's sitting there acting like nothing is happening when his hands are as guilty as sin.

"Something wrong, Marcus?" Dom asks quietly as if he didn't already know.

His hand achingly drags itself up my inner thigh in a slow way I'm sure is meant to tease me. I guess this is Part Two of Dom's revenge.

Dom's hand takes its time feeling me up in a way that both excites and frustrates the hell out of me. The hand searches around as if looking for something and I probably should have grabbed it earlier to stop it, but a part of me just didn't want to.

The hand finally locates my half-erect, cloth-clad cock and I clench my teeth to keep myself from making any noise as his hand rubs me through my pants. _Damn you, Dom._

Baird and Cole are pretty much oblivious to what's happening underneath the table and I'm thankful for that, at least.

He continues to touch me to the point that I'm sorely tempted to just grab Dom and fuck him on the table in front of the…_kids_.

Before I can do or say anything, Dom removes his hand and gets up. He nods to us and walks away as if he hasn't just been giving me a hand job underneath the damn table.

_Goddammit_. I want to follow him, but I don't want Cole and Baird to see my, ahem, _problem_…

I can't really think of anything and I don't really want to sit there like that, so I do something I haven't done since grade school. I look to my left and point out casually, "Is that Savage and Mataki kissing?"

Like magic, Baird and Cole immediately look in the direction I had indicated and it is at that moment that I stand up quickly and walk out quickly, but stiffly.

Dom's going to get it. I don't care if he's somewhere bawling about Maria. His ass is _mine_, bitch.

* * *

**TBC…**

_**A/N: More action to come in the upcoming chapter. **_

Note(s):

1.) A quote from a House episode. It's one of my favorite quotes that House says. I believe the episode is called "Death changes everything".

2.) The soap thing is actually inspired by actual events. A friend of mine blamed a dropped bagel on the ground on this guy I know. So I reply, "No, the only thing So-and-So knows how to drop is soap" and the funny thing is this guy has been to prison before. XD

3.) Isaac is half Navajo from his mother's side. I know there's no Navajo in GOW, but I decided to use the inspiration of the Navajo. Everything in this story may or may not be accurate to the actual Navajo race, so don't be offended if I get something wrong or twist it around. Part of the reason I settled for using Navajo is partially because of the Navajo Code Talkers.

4)They are Tyran. They speak Tyran which is their word for English. So instead of saying "Speak English", I had Marcus say, "Speak Tyran."


End file.
